Akuma - A Miraculous Ladybug AU
by Variiscite
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a teenage girl who lives in the Parisian Slums and goes to Francois-Dupont. However, she is also the elusive Ladybug, the strange vigilante that had starting purifying akumas with her partner, Chat Noir, who seems to not have as big of a moral compass as she does, referred to as the "Great Parisian Thief." What will happen?
1. Description, Summary and Questions

✨Updates every Saturday 12pm AWST time.✨

Miraculous Ladybug - Dark and Mature AU

A string of murders has begun trailing through the Parisian slums, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng believes that Hawkmoth is involved, and maybe even another miraculous holder. As Ladybug, she must figure out who the murderer is, especially since Marinette herself is a prime suspect. With Chat Noir being known as the 'Greatest Parisian Thief', a fashion show that will determine her future and not knowing who to trust, she knew it was time to put an end to Hawkmoth's reign.

"Did you get some rest?" Chat Noir asked, his voice filled with concern.

His voice was only heard as a background noise, echoing and faraway. It sounded soft, and Ladybug could hear the slightest bit of warmth, but it was too far away to reach.

Her mind was clouded with the murderer and the fashion show. Who was the murderer...was it really a miraculous holder?

Chat Noir stared at Ladybug, waiting for an answer, before realising that he wasn't getting one.

"You didn't rest," Chat Noir growled, disappointed. "Seriously, Bug?"

Ladybug wasn't listening. She felt the bags still hanging under her eyes and her pinkish eyes were aching. She sneezed a little from the cold, and immediately, knitted her brown in worry.

Chat Noir observed her from a distance. She was shivering in fear and stress, and it was clearly evident to anyone with eyes.

"I guess you leave me no choice then, Bug," Chat Noir shrugged with a sigh. "Sorry in advance."

"Huh? Di-did you say something?" Ladybug croaked.

Thinking that Chat Noir didn't say anything, she went back to pacing forward and backward atop the rooftop terrace, her vision slightly blurry.

"Maybe...the murderer is-"

Before she could finish, she realised that Chat Noir was only inches away from her. A soft red blush formed on her cheeks in surprise.

"Wha-what is-"

Before she could finish, he tilted her face up with her fingers under her chin. And their eyes met. Blazing green eyes meeting glowing blue ones.

Ladybug freaked out.

_Why does he look so scarily serious?_

It wasn't long before Chat Noir pressed his lips against hers.

**What Point of View will this be in?**

This story will most likely always be in third person; however, Marinette will be writing in her diary and I might show a few snippets of that. The narrator will be revealed as you continue reading.

**Where will 'Akuma' update first?**

I will be posting this fanfiction on

Archive of Our Own

Quotev

Deviantart

Tumblr

Wattpad

However, no matter what, it will always be posted **first on wattpad.**

**Will it always update on Saturday at 12?**

Well, firstly, nobody's perfect, I do have a life outside wattpad and might not update, but since I'm already setting myself a schedule I have to follow it. If I don't update or find that the chapter I've written isn't well-fleshed out or dumb, I will inform the reader. Hopefully before 12 on Saturday. Secondly, everyone has different dates and times. I'm pretty sure that the US is behind of Australia by one day and other countries have different days.

This fanfiction will update 12:00am AWST time on Saturday.

**How long will this story be?**

I have a straight-planned main plotline that focuses on the murders around Paris and their search for who Hawkmoth is. Romantic subplots might be added (Ladynoir will definitely be explored, don't worry). I have the ending planned and the beginning planned as well as the character's fears and feelings. I have been planning this novel in the back of my mind for over a year, but I don't know how long. Maybe at **novel length**, depending on how it goes.

**Will the reveal happen?**

Anything can happen in fanfiction. 😏

**How drastically different will this be from the original show?**

**Extremely different.** It will show the characters from the original show, but they might have different roles. Hawkmoth still sends out butterflies, but leaves a white mark on the original akumatised object rather than a pure butterfly flying out. Appearances of characters have also changed such as Ladybug's outfit and Alya's. Ladybug is still the same serious superheroine, who's sassy and mature. Chat Noir is a little different, he's more of the loner type now. I think I've already said too much, but more differences will be shown as you read the novel.

**How long will the chapters be?**

I want to make the best chapters for every week and most satisfying releases. So I have personally set a goal that a chapter has to be at **minimum 1500 words/2000 words except for author notes and diary bits. **

**What the hell happened to 'Watching Miraculous Ladybug' and Miraculous Diary the Sequel?**

Haha...no. I like to forget my past. I have been disappointed with recent episodes of Miraculous, and since many would like to see a grittier version of Miraculous, I have created this fanfiction.

**Anything we need to know about the novel beforehand?**

Absolutely not, I don't think you even need to really watch a show that much. Maybe one episode is enough. No spoilers will be revealed, other than the big one from Collector. Season 1 and the first episode of Season 2 is all you need.

If there are any more questions, I might do a Q&A soon so yeah!

I hope you enjoy, and thank you!


	2. Prologue

_Snap!_

Lila Rossi's ears perked up at the sound of the camera shutter, surprised. She spun around, noticing a young police officer holding up a camera toward her.

However, he wasn't focused on her, but something in front of her. The lying man on the floor. He was covered in a thick veil so as not to let any media or the public identify him.

A pre-akumatised victim who had collapsed from the strength of an akuma. The victim could never live the same life again after being akumatised.

The sight didn't deter Lila, but rather the photo did. Her pupils dilated in worry, and she bit her lip slightly.

_I hope he didn't get my face..._

She swallowed harshly. She was usually praised for leaving no trail behind. No evidence or even a mark that would connect her to anything. Lila continued to observe the policemen work from a safe distance, blending into the crowd that had formed behind the yellow police tape.

She squinted her pistachio-coloured eyes, then rubbed her necklace between her fingers, trying to eavesdrop the conversation.

"Captain Raincomprix!" the young policeman said swiftly as the red-headed captain marched toward the scene. "I'm glad you're here!"

"Of course you are," Raincomprix said gruffly. "What is it, Miller?"

"I found some evidence!" the man said excitedly, holding up a plastic baggy. "Are you proud of me, sir?"

Raincomprix didn't flinch, but eyed the young man's eager face. He snatched away the plastic bag and surveyed it, noticing a single, lengthy dark brown hair.

Lila gritted her teeth in frustration.

_Dammit!_

"I've seen that brown hair in another akumatisation scene!" Miller said smartly. "I believe that we can identify the girl, and she most likely will be our prime suspect!"

"I see," Raincomprix grinned, slightly proud. "Nice work Miller, we can add this to the official reports."

"When can we send the hair to the DNA specialists?" Miller asked, frowning.

"In about a week," Raincomprix said. "Paris is ridden with crime right now."

Lila nibbled her fingernails, terrified.

_No, no, no, no! I can't afford to be a prime suspect so quickly! We've only started!_

She felt her hair and stared at it for a moment.

_Maybe I could cut it? They can't afford to identify every single brunette in Paris...but I can't take that risk._

Swearing under her breath, she pushed her way out of the crowd and away from the scene. She cupped her necklace with her two hands, feeling a small energy from within it. She closed her fingers over it, then tucked it under her shirt.

_Fox._

_Fox._

Lila sighed angrily, as she heard the velvety smooth voice of an old friend. Her eyes wandered around her surroundings, she was still in the open, with other people.

_He won't give me a damn break will he..._

She rushed over to a narrow alleyway, and rested against a brick wall, fishing out her phone from her pocket. She pretended to have a call.

"What? I don't want people to think I'm talking to myself like last time!"

_What happened? I felt something from you. Something negative._

Lila frowned, mildly disgusted.

"Dude can you stop stalking me every second? It's annoying as hell."

_Answer me Lila. Something happened, correct?_

_I cannot afford something to go wrong, especially so early into the plan._

"Yes," Lila admitted. "Something happened."

_And? Mind telling me what it is?_

_He was angry, with a tinge of curiousity. He wasn't worth telling everything._

"I'll fix it, okay?" Lila scowled. "Spare your forehead from anymore creases, I beg you. Trust me."

There was a pause as the conversation seemed to take a sinister turn.

_Very well._

_That does not sound very well..._

Lila pressed her lips together in a tight line. She tried to find a quick way out.

"Well. See you around then. When you want to talk to a girl, try not stalking her. Might have worked with Emilia." she purred finally, feeling triumphant.

There was no reply, just a simple, low growl.

_Heh...guess that really is his weak spot._

"I've got something to do."

She pretended to hang up as to not arouse suspicion, and plunged her phone in her pocket. She coughed slightly, feeling a cold coming up, then shook her head.

She honestly could not stand the winters of Paris.

_Okay, Rossi, focus._

Her mind raced back to what the young man was saying, about the official police records.

_Alright, infiltration, Rossi, you've done this dozens of times before, you can do it again._

Her green eyes glimmered as her lips curled into a smile.

Time to bust into a police station.

A/N

Hello, in case you don't know, this prologue was created after a few chapters. I hope you enjoyed it enough to keep reading :

~Variiscite


	3. Chapter 0 - Beginning

"Purify!" Ladybug yelled into the wind and threw the akumatised pen into the cool night air.

The blackness in the pen shrivelled away as it landed back on her palm. A tiny white butterfly emblem appeared on it, a mark of the once akumatised object.

Once Ladybug had finished, she held the pen in her hair, clenching her fingers over it.

_Don't do it...don't do it..._

To her dismay, Ladybug could feel the pen erode into dust and wash away into the wind. Dark specks of dust floated away from her grasp.

Once again.

She silently swore to herself in disappointment.

_This Hawkmoth's good...no damning trace left behind...no way to reach him...no way to find out about where he is and how he uses and finds his victims...Just a dumb butterfly mark._

_And a lot of black dust._

The duo decided to take a breather. They had just finished battling a difficult akuma who called herself 'Troublemaker'. Akuma that possessed sensitive or emotional people tended to be harder to take down and purify. So the energy from the miraculous was used excessively. Troublemaker was no exception.

Ladybug panted heavily, sweat beads visible on her forehead, some trailing down from her face. Chat Noir was also by her side, filled completely with fatigue. They were atop a rooftop terrace with Troublemaker, who was in a weird trance as the akuma vanished from her in a single breath.

Chat Noir was sitting up on the floor, one knee bent up and the other lying down. His arms held him up by his sides, and his face was burning from all the running and jumping.

Soon enough, the akumatised victim collapsed onto the floor at their feet, lying down on their back, completely unconscious. The duo could also see how pale her skin was and her slightly malnourished body.

They allowed the akumatised woman recover from the akuma attack and let themselves rest for a few minutes.

Paris was blanketed in snow and many musty buildings surrounded the area, completely submerged in the wintry climate. A lingering stench of rot and decay hung over them.

The duo was in a rough part of town, around the Parisian slums. Everything was dark and dirty and the only real light came from the moon. All that was visible was cracked windows, rotting doors, smelly stray dogs and other animals. Tiny houses packed together, practically side by side. They were houses nestled atop train tracks that didn't operate anymore, or tucked away under bridges.

It felt as if it was something that Paris was trying to hide.

Chat Noir especially didn't feel at home, claiming it was a 'giant pig's sty and Ladybug couldn't help but agree.

_Though he could have phrased it a bit better..._

As the specks of dust was carried away by the wind, her body jerked up and shook a little, before she breathed heavily and fell to the ground with a painful grunt. Ladybug hated the feeling the moment she first purified an akuma. When negative emotions disappeared, they usually attacked another host, in most cases Ladybug. However, since the emotions cannot grow in a host without those same charged emotions, those same feelings die out.

Ladybug learnt it the hard way.

Her thick black hair was tied up in a low ponytail (she refused to chop it down to short hair at my request), her upturned Asian eyes glowed blue, and her outfit was a low dark red. A metal zip trailed from her waistline to her chest. She wore a small black undershirt underneath the jumpsuit. It was mid-winter in Paris after all. A metallic silver-coloured belt ran around her hips which featured her trade-mark ladybug yoyo. On top of her thin and weak Ladybug boots, she wore a chunkier and heftier pair of black boots with sharp edges underneath. She scoffed at Chat Noir's mocking comments and claimed she was being 'practical'. Thick woolen fingerless gloves and a red and black-spotted mask was plastered over her face. And of course, her most important feature were her ladybug earrings, perched on her ears. The secret to her abilities.

She was new to the gig, with the whole miraculous thing, as dumb as she believed it to be. She adored princesses and superheroes as a kid, but never expected to actually become one; a superhero that is. She didn't have the strength as many athletes or boxers did, or the flexibility like gymnasts or contortionists, but she was apparently 'crawling her way up', as Chat Noir described it.

Ladybug forced herself to get up on her feet, her knees still shaking from the sudden rush of emotion. She stretched her arms and body with a slight grunt before turning to the once akumatised civilian.

The woman opened her eyes with small and slow blinks, as she soon became conscious. She sat up slowly, her hand rubbing her head and shutting her eyes tightly in pain.

"Are you okay Ma'am?" Ladybug asked, highly concerned.

The woman suddenly started breathing in fast and uneasy breaths, her pupils dilated and her eyes were as large as saucers. Her left hand was gripping her chest, trying desperately to calm her body from shaking.

Aftershock.

Classic reaction after an akumatisation.

Ladybug didn't know what to do, and awkwardly shuffled as she furrowed her brow. She never understood what it was like to be akumatised. She liked to comfort people, but someone with so much weighing on their mind as well as being possessed to attack other people, she simply didn't know what to do.

The woman finally calmed down as her breathing slowed down, her hand pressed down over her chest. She looked up at Ladybug and gave a reassuring small smile.

Ladybug helped the woman up by holding her by the arms and lifting her up to stand up. Chat Noir observed from the background with an uncaring look.

"Well?" her voice rang out, as she glared at her partner.

Chat Noir paused a little, before getting on his feet by himself.

"Fine."

The duo escorted the woman down the building through the stairs, and Ladybug comforted the shaking and shivering woman.

As they exited the tiny house, bright red and white lights washed over them and the blaring sounds of police and ambulance sirens could be heard all around the Parisian slums.

Penny Rolling, as she was identified, was soon covered in a thin white blanket and taken in by the police. She wasn't going to be interrogated, but if intense emotions get the better of civilians, they were usually put in the care of the police or experts who know how to deal with their problems.

I always thought it was all rather...noble. Extremely different from what was done before now.

A small thank you was received from the police before they left. A silent breeze was felt passing through the air as the vehicles drove away, and Ladybug shivered slightly from the frosty wind.

_Guess the black undershirt idea didn't work..._

She stared blankly, contemplating on what to do next. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden jingling sound. It was soft, almost inaudible but it was a cute and small chime. Her arms were folded as she continued to stare out into the distance.

"Where do you think you're going?" she said slowly and scornfully.

Camouflaged in the shadows was the famed Chat Noir, his bright green eyes standing out in the veiled darkness. He was perched atop one of the lamp-posts, overlooking the scene.

His green eyes stood out like stars. I could never forget those green eyes. Marinette never could either.

"Home." he paused a little. "Where do you think?"

Ladybug's eyes dipped slightly, most likely believing it was a lie. Chat Noir frowned a little, slightly annoyed at the distrust.

"Don't worry," he replied coldly. "I'm not gonna steal tonight, if that's what you're worrying about."

Ladybug tilted her head toward him; her bluebell eyes were strict and cold.

"Too much excitement for one night, Bug," he grinned his cheshire cat smile, holding up one finger.

"If you want to help me with akuma you might as well also follow the law you know," Ladybug said stonily. She turned to fully face him, her fists by her side.

"Pick a side, Chat Noir."

"A side?" Chat Noir pondered in a mocking manner.

"It's simple, Bug. I like stealing, but I also don't want possessed people trashing my city." Chat Noir replied with an uncaring shrug. "Call me...patriotic."

He jumped down from the pole and stepped out of the shadows slowly, his face more visible in the moonlight. Messy blond hair and lightly-tanned skin.

"Who even defines good anymore, Bug?"

Ladybug let out a low growl of disappointment. "Just because the police let you off doesn't mean you're better than the law."

"Not like I care," Chat Noir finished, turning away from her disgusted look. Hiding away the slightest bit of regret from his face. "You better head home, dinner's probably getting cold. Goodnight Bug."

With an extension of his staff, Chat Noir left the scene swiftly. Ladybug stared as he left her eyes flooded with annoyance and disappointment. Not like she could do much about Chat Noir's behaviour.

I always thought Chat Noir was a lost cause, but Ladybug never gave up on him. I suppose it's genetic.

She sighed deeply, suddenly remembering what her parents had said the other night.

"Return home after 10pm again and we will work you to the bone!"

_Not like I can honestly control when the akuma decide to tire themselves out..._

"Well I've got to face my demons at some point I suppose," she shrugged before flinging her yoyo in the air as it clung onto the horns of a nearby gargoyle.

As the yoyo string contracted, she too, disappeared into the night.

**A/N**

✨Chapter 1 will update next Saturday, 12:00am AWST!✨

If you have any questions about this fanfiction, feel free to PM me or even leave a comment tagging me CrispMosaic!

**3 Variiscite**


	4. Chapter 1 - Alya Césaire

Alya Césaire trudged lonelily through the snow.

Mid-winter Paris was rather ugly in Alya's opinion. Everything was an ocean of snow and ice with benches and buildings sinking into the whiteness. Walking through it tended to put her in a low and dull mood. Dark clouds, awful weather, the only exception was that students get to miss school for a day.

Alya breathed into her scarf as light warmth was received back. Her hair was cut short like a bob, her hazel eyes rather dim from the cold. The tips of her hair were a dark red, dyed from a few years back. Her glasses were rather fashionable, upturned but black. Her skin was dark like cocoa and a beauty mark nestled above her left eye. She was covered from head to toe in comfy winter clothes. From a soft large red coat that reached her ankles to fluffy boots. The teen in general gave off a hipster blogger vibe; but was a bit more introverted than many would expect.

"Ugh...why is Paris always so damn cold..." she grumbled into her scarf. "I miss Martinique's winters..."

She walked up to a shrivelled black tree and rested her back against it.

It carried many memories of students from Francois-Dupont. Famous couples have carved their names into it, many like to simply hang around there to chat and most importantly, it was were Alya first met Marinette.

She felt around in her coat-pocket and until she reached for her phone. A device she held dear to her heart. She pressed her thumb on the fingerprint identification and called her close friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Marinette, in Alya's opinion, was a sweet girl. High pigtails, a cute smile, light peachy skin, mischievously subtle freckles dotted over her nose and bright blue eyes. No matter the situation, she always had an upbeat, optimistic and cheery vibe. No wonder she had many admirers.

"Marinette?" Alya said, kicking a bit of the snow from the ground. "Want me to come over already? It's like 2 'o' clock."

"Right, right, we were meeting up at the park right? Sorry..." Marinette's cute voice rang back over the light buzz of static. Her voice had a tint of Chinese accent to it, due to her heritage. There was a small pause and Alya could hear some light yelling from the background. Then Marinette continued. "Uh no! Don't come over! Our house, it's-it's under repair!"

"Okay," Alya shrugged with disinterest, "so are you coming, or what?"

"In about an hour," Marinette said sheepishly. "Sorry Als, my parents are working me to death. I'm not even halfway through my chores...I didn't come home last night until 11:40."

"Great, maybe I'll be able to watch humans de-evolve by then," Alya said sarcastically, slightly bitter. "What were you doing up so late last night anyway?"

"Not worth explaining at this point," Marinette grumbling. She then whispered more silently, "I think I've run out of excuses already at this point..."

"You sure you don't want me to come over? I could help you or-"

"No!" Marinette interrupted loudly. "Just...don't...come over..."

"Jeez, okay, okay," Alya said with a sigh. "I guess we'll meet up at Della-Robbia cafe with Nino, okay?"

"Sounds great!" Marinette chirped back. "See ya Alya!"

"Seeya Marinette." Alya grinned softly. She looked down at her phone and pressed on the illuminated red icon.

Alya chuckled to herself.

_She's such a dork._

She found Marinette's clumsiness rather adorable ever since she met her. She was always naive and straight-forward, always smiling. Alya always wondered if there was another side to her. If Marinette truly is who she says she is.

Honestly, how can someone be happy like that all the time? It's amazing to meet someone so optimistic.

I suppose Alya found it rather amusing to see such an innocent girl in high-school. Whatever it was, maybe she will never understand it.

By the time Alya arrived at the Della-Robbia cafe, it was almost 2:30. She most likely was late due to her annoyed mood and the snow that clung on to her feet.

She pushed the door open and felt the warmth of the heater wash over her body. She sighed in relief with a smile and rubbed the end of her shoes on the 'welcome' rug. She unwound the scarf from her neck and hung it on a wooden coatrack, along with other scarves and coats. Her neck was soon greeted with the same warmth.

_Ahhh...no better feeling than freezing snow to comforting warmth..._

Her eyes caught the barista standing behind the counter. He was a young teenager with a thin line of black hair, almost bald, a bulgy nose and small red glasses. He wore a small purple apron with light yellow text that proudly spelt "Della-Robia". Alya's mouth fell open in surprise and her eyes widened. She blinked a few times wondering if it was really him.

"Nino?"

The barista looked up from writing on his little notepad and grinned at Alya.

"Alya! About time you got here." Nino smiled.

"You dork!" Alya giggled, as she ran up to the counter. She lightly nudged his shoulder with her elbow. "So that's what you meant when you said you wanted us to meet you here!"

"Surprised, right?" Nino laughed. He proceeded to look around and behind Alya with a worried expression. "But...where's Marinette? I was hoping you both could be here..."

"She's meeting up with us in an hour, something about her parents," Alya sighed, her voice filled with concern. She rubbed her hand on the back of her neck, and lines visible on her forehead. "Apparently she stayed up till 11:40 or something. You know how strict her parents are."

"That late?" Nino asked with a frown. "We don't even have a test to study for."

"She's been acting strange that's for sure..." Alya agreed with a thoughtful look.

Her face then lit up again and she looked up to face Nino.

"Enough about her," Alya started with a smile. She poked at his chest. "When did you start working at Della-Robia's?"

Nino craned his neck back as his eyes rolled back, deep in thought. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck his eyes glistening with pride.

"I was trying to save up for a new DJ set," Nino finally said. "I couldn't find any gigs, and apparently somebody from school recommended me to the head!"

"What? Who?" Alya asked, taken aback. "No offense Nino, but you're not exactly Mr Popularity..."

"Adrien." Nino replied. Not finding any recognition in Alya's eyes, he continued, "You know, that new kid."

"Adrien Agreste?" Alya asked. "Are you sure? Haven't you only talked to him once?"

"I was surprised too..." Nino explained. "I don't know what drove him to suddenly help me. I guess."

"Guess my radiant personality charmed him," Nino beamed, a cheeky smug adorned on his face.

Alya couldn't help but chuckle. She then paused and thought about the strange situation.

"A rich kid with daddy issues...it's like it's out of an anime or something..." Alya replied with an agreeing shrug. "Well, are you done here? Let's get a bite to eat."

"Yeah, I'm just about done," Nino smiled. He was about to untie his apron but then paused and grinned cheekily.

"Wait, before that..."

He grabbed the notepad he put down and a neatly sharpened pencil. "...Let me take you order, Ms. Césaire."

Alya blushed slightly.

She knew exactly what Marinette wanted. No matter what, Marinette always got the exact same thing, the cheapest thing in the menu; small hot chocolate with two marshmallows.

Marinette never liked change too much, she always wanted everything to stay the same no matter what. As soon as something changed or someone in her life disappeared, she would panic and stress out about it for weeks. I do agree she was always emotionally attached to things she loved.

"Wait, let me stop you there, it's the small hot chocolate, right?" Nino asked, pointing the rubber end of the pencil toward her.

"Yep, as usual," Alya chuckled lightly. "You know what a cheapskate she is."

"And what about you?" Nino asked.

"Banana milkshake, light on the sugar," Alya grinned. "Let's see how good your cooking is."

"Ah you just see, Alya Césaire, my milkshakes are to die for," Nino smirked proudly. "I bet I can win Marinette over with them too!"

"If only she ordered them, Romeo," Alya rolled her eyes. Her voice had a tinge of jealousy. "You still like her huh?"

"I'm not giving up on Marinette," Nino said hopefully yet slightly embarrassed.

"Mhmm..." Alya began awkwardly. She desperately wanted to change the subject. "I'll get us a seat."

Nino blinked, noticing Alya's sudden introverted nature.

"Uh sure? I'll catch up later," Nino hummed. "I'll get you a banana milkshake as well as a lemon slice. I know you like those too. Then I'll get a little something for myself."

_He knows I like lemon slices..._

She shook her head in to distract herself.

_Oh just forget it Alya, Marinette, remember?_

Alya forced a weak smile before finding four-leather seater couch by a large window. She had to admit there was something cute about Nino, but never felt like exploring her feelings too much. She let out a painful sigh.

_I don't like him, I don't like him, it's just in your head._

_He's just a weirdo who's a music geek_

_He already has a thing for Marinette, just forget it._

They were usual thoughts that she would use to distract herself from her true feelings. Though that's what she used to do. Nowadays, she uses her blog and novels to distract herself from the real world.

Alya had started the blog almost a year ago under the anonymous name of Rena. She started with a tiny journal talking about her life, telling her readers about things she found interesting and even talking about people in her life (under code names of course). It soon evolved into creating stories about Rena and her friends; Maria, Nick, and to a lesser extent, Adam.

It all changed one day when she received a comment from a post that talked about people from her school.

**#!Clover! says,** _Hey Rena, you're super cool I love you! You're amazing at writing! Maybe you should start writing a book or something!_

A single comment can do a lot.

Ever since then, Alya has written and completed 3 novels: "_Aelita", "Akuma de Reflection" and "Strawberry Sunrise". _She wrote from heart-breaking romances, to everlasting friendships and cute slice-of-life stories all distributed on her blog.

Marinette never noticed what she did, typing underneath the school desk during lessons, typing when she was ostracised from a conversation and blatantly typing when she was out with friends. She wrote one-shots, poems, blog posts as usual and completing lengthy chapters. She spoke to no one about it. But I noticed.

I saw everything.

And currently...she was interested in basing her new story on someone who actually existed.

Alya's fingers tapped out the letters speedily on the search engine, her left hand propped on her cheek.

** G**

The red super-heroine was relatively new to Paris. She started about 6 months ago trying to enforce vigilante justice. At least that's what many in the police force believed for the first 2 months before they realised that akuma became a lot more frequent than expected. They discovered that akuma aren't a problem that the police can solve.

Alya was interested in her. She looked like a teenager, about her age, yet she always seemed like an adult, mature and intelligent. No matter what happened, she always was so strong, trying to keep a smile to show her strength to Parisians.

Alya closed her eyes slowly and thought about what she could write.

_As Ladybug, my words mean a lot. Whenever I speak, 'it's as if they say 'don't worry, I'm here, you will all be fine'._

Alya let out a warm breath and opened her eyes again. She scrolled through the taken pictures of Ladybug with her thumb. Akuma were active more frequently, so many could easily get better pictures of her face. But Chat Noir was noticeably a rarer site on the internet. From what Alya could gather, he despised replying to the news or anyone for that matter, even Ladybug.

_I guess in a way...despite his help with akuma, Ladybug really is alone..._

Alya pursed her lips. A superhero saving the city from possessed people, not really her style. She was more into slice of life stories, like talking about friendship or romance and drama.

_I guess I'm just a giant fluffy teddy-bear after all..._

"Alya!" a female voice rang out.

Alya's thoughts were interrupted as she blinked in surprise and looked behind her. Her face lit up and she gave Marinette a huge smile.

"Marinette!" Alya said. "About time you got here!"

Marinette had worn her signature pigtails, but they were covered by a dark grey beanie. She wore white earmuffs and an expertly knitted cardigan with thick torn pink shorts and black leggings underneath. She also wore her chunky black boots again, as she had the night before.

"Did they work you to death as usual?" Alya said as Marinette took off her bag from her shoulder and sat opposite across from Alya.

"Is that even a question?" Marinette yawned tinily, tired as ever. "You bet they did."

"You really should have asked for my help, Marinette." Alya suggested with sympathy. "I'm not one of those jerks who just hangs around and doesn't even help."

"I know you aren't but-"

"For you, Mademoiselle," Nino interrupted, placed a tiny cup of hot chocolate in front of Marinette. Two marshmallows bobbed atop the warm drink as Marinette gasped in surprise. He soon placed a banana milkshake and a lemon slice for Alya. He then placed down a cup of dark coffee for himself.

"Oh Nino! Thank you!" Marinette thanked with a cheery smile, clapping her hands together. "Of course, you of all people would know what I usually drink here."

"Hehe, yeah," Nino chuckled, a small blush visible on his face.  
A blush Alya picked up on immediately.

_Everybody knows what she likes...don't get cocky, Nino._

"Uh, so...what were you doing last night?" Alya asked curiously. "Up till 11:40, that's a bit much, even for you."

"Yeah what happened?" Nino asked, slyly getting a seat next to Marinette, much to Alya's dismay.

Marinette fiddled with a loose string on her coat, flustered.

"Uh well...I was planning something..." Marinette said embarrassed. "You know me and fashion..."

"You and fashion?" Alya asked trying to connect the dots. She jumped a little when she realised what she meant. "Don't tell me you're actually taking up on Chloé's offer!

Only a few weeks before, Marinette had met Chloé Bourgeois during a fundraiser. She was gorgeous girl, who could almost be a model. A high ponytail that scooped up her beautiful golden hair, dark blue eyes, lightly tanned skin and wearing a immaculate prep school uniform. Alya thought she looked like a real-life barbie doll when she met her, but Chloé always seemed extremely strong and determined rather than mean. Snobby, definitely, but also feisty and strong.

Marinette's sewn clothes were displayed and being sold for others and Chloé had been doing the same. With of course, Chloé going a step further with a 'fashion advice for a dollar' booth as well.

_'Fashion Advice for a Price',_ she called it.

When Chloé had realised that Marinette's clothes were selling better than hers, she challenged Marinette to a fashion competition to which Marinette, being Marinette, humbly declined. Most likely due to her lack of confidence.

Annoyed at Marinette not accepting her offer, Chloé said she'll let Marinette think about it, and stated that, 'I know people like you. You don't give up, in fact you never give up. I know that you'll change your mind and face up against me Marinette Dupain-Cheng!'

Marinette was overwhelmed with astonishment. Chloé Bourgeois didn't even attend her school. Chloé attended a fancy boarding prep school kilometers away, being the mayor's daughter and all. She honestly didn't know what to think.

It was almost an honour.

"Fashion show?" Marinette blinked. It was certainly not the first thing she thought of. She blushed a little. Anything relating to fashion resulted in her feeling tingly and excited. "I don't know..."

Her forefinger traced the rim of the hot-chocolate cup, and she could see her reflection appear on the drink.

"I doubt I can do much..." Marinette sighed. "I have to sew everything, I don't like being center of attention and besides, I already have so much work being L-"

Before Marinette herself could stop herself from revealing her secret, a group of uniformed men and women spilled into the building, their presence threatening. They scanned the area with a fierce stare, and many customers backed away from them.

Marinette, Nino and Alya, but also many in the café turned around to face them, as the group was revealed to be police officers.

The head of them all stepped forward menacingly, his presence created a wave of silence throughout the café.

_Roger Raincomprix._

The police officer who was the most distrusting of Ladybug, even more so of Chat Noir.

"Where is the manager of the coffee shop?" his voice boomed throughout the room.

Nino bravely slid out of the couch and walked up to the cop, clearly flustered.

"Uh, I'm not the manager bu-"

"If you're not the manager I have nothing to do with you!" Roger hissed. "I need to find someone important. I was told she was in Della-Robia's. Where is she?"

"Who?" Nino asked, despite the pang of embarrassment in his heart.

"I need Marinette," Roger growled. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Alya stared at the cop in surprise, then at Marinette, who looked petrified.

"What?" Marinette croaked, almost shaking in fear. "Th-that's me..."

Roger's eyes caught Marinette's scared look and his eyes narrowed into two beady slits, focusing and examining her.

"You do match the description," he said gruffly. "You better come. You're a suspect."

"A-a suspect? For what?" Marinette asked, sliding out of the couch. She stood up, grabbing the shoulder of the seat. "What happened?"

"Murder in the Parisian slums," Roger said uncaringly.

"You are to be interrogated for the murder of Sabine Dupain-Cheng."

**A/N**

I updated early because I'm busy all day tomorrow. Already I'm not following my own set schedule -.-

See you next week! 3

Again, any questions, ask away! I need some in case I can't update one week ?and need to make up some Q&A

Currently, I'm writing a chapter one week before the deadline. So I'm writing this from last Sunday (:0)

**~ Variiscite -..-/-..**


	5. Chapter 2 - Knavish

He liked stealing.

It wasn't admirable, that was for sure, but the few glimpses I caught of him in Paris from Marinette's room, he always had bright, sparkling eyes and a childish grin plastered on his face. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, usually with something tied under his belt. Jewellery, ornaments, gold, silver and on the rare occasion, money.

I had noticed that he always worked at night, no matter the scenario.

Perhaps he felt more confident amidst the darkness and fog.

Marinette might even get a look at him after an akuma had been purified. While swinging away towards the slums, she would notice he was usually heading toward a museum or bank.

I knew what she was thinking.

Disappointment and guilt.

I guess she felt some sort of responsibility, being his partner and all that.

She didn't care much for the history of the miraculous or how it worked, but knew one thing the moment she wore the earrings.

These jewels have been created for the sole purpose of being used for good.

Tonight was a heist he couldn't mess up. It wasn't a very grand steal from what I had heard, just a simple ornament from the Paris museum. Not the Louvre mind you, he rarely ever tried for the Louvre. Most likely due to the abundance of security there.

_A simple ornament for an unknown client. A simple steal. A simple use of cataclysm. No evidence. No trace. No noise._

_Just Chat Noir._

Adrien stared out the window, pondering thoughtfully, his hands weakly hanging by his side. His green eyes caught the moon, which was glimmering brightly.

_The moon's bright tonight._ Adrien thought to himself. _Full moon..._

Adrien continued to gaze at the night sky, which was barred by a large glass window. He took a step forward and pressed his right hand on the pane, staring at his own reflection. He pursed his lips and his eyebrows knitted together.

"Well?"

"What?" Adrien replied, confused.

"Well, why'd you do it?" a familiar male voice asked. "I mean recommending that music geek kid to that café I mean."

"He deserved it," Adrien said softly, not even trusting his own answer.

"You can only win by your own strength and talent." Plagg continued. "It's a rule that you believed in. Your father taught you that."

"You only started school today kid," Plagg rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you're already softening up to people there. So much for Mr. Perfect."

Adrien was silent and didn't reply. The kwami was right after all, he couldn't refute the argument. Just that morning, he had started school at Francois-Dupont for the first time. He was dreading the day, as he had to keep silent all day despite there being many other students his age there.

Silent.

Silent and quiet as usual.

"Friends simply slow you down Adrien," his father had said before he left. "Take it from me. You have to be the best. Just be the best at studying and physical activity; everything and you will enjoy life. That is what led to my success as a fashion designer."

_Friends simply slow you down...huh?_

Adrien chuckled lightly when he thought about Nino. Nino Lahiffe was a strange teen to Adrien. He seemed to usually hang out with Alya Césaire, an awkward yet determined introvert and Marinette, a cheery and cute girl. However, Adrien wasn't very approachable. He always had a grim face, and seemed dead-panned and emotionless. His face usually covered by his hair.

Yet despite it all. Despite his boring expression, despite his slouching and disinterested posture, Nino still ran up to Adrien and befriended him with a huge smile. He acted as if Adrien was any other kid you'd meet any day.

For once...Adrien felt something warm resonating within him.

"Can you stop brooding and get out already?" Plagg yawned, lying on a slice of camembert cheese. "You've been staring at the sky for like, 5 minutes now."

"I thought you didn't like me stealing and doing bad stuff," Adrien inquired. "Remember that whole spiel about how miraculous must be used for good, from Ladybug?"

"Kwamis don't usually get to give that spiel, Adrien," Plagg shrugged uncaringly. "You know, unless you're Tikki. But your miraculous, your choice, honestly."

Adrien stared at Plagg silently. The fact he even had a choice annoyed him. He secretly enjoyed purifying akuma with Ladybug. She always had an aura of excitement and thrill, her movements were flexible and fun and her eyes were always shining. Kind of like himself. The feeling of relief after purifying the akuma and the person going back to normal. It all felt...amazing.

I think Plagg could feel it. The feeling of excitement and happiness from Adrien whenever he fought alongside Ladybug. The regret and guilt from having Ladybug's back turned on him and betraying her. Though the regret and guilt was small.

_But was it really worth it to have Ladybug not look me in the eye?_

Chat Noir crept past the rooftops and hid under a fence of bricks atop a terrace. He pressed his hands against the bricks and peered down at his target, the local museum. He switched on his night-vision, and light green blanketed his sight. He squinted and observed the building intently.

_Too many security guards...ugh...maybe I should wait a little._

He growled in impatience, as he knelt down and continued to scan the area. He readied his staff trying to pounce, but it was too risky. The security was thick that night.

_I bet Bug suspected something...probably because I was eyeing this place last night during the whole Troublemaker dilemma._

A wave of fatigue washed over Chat Noir in an instant. It was sharp and sudden. He realised he might not be able to pull off the heist if his tiredness gets the better of him.

Stubbornly, he continued to stare out at his target. But it wasn't soon before his eyes betrayed him, and he drifted off to sleep, curled up on the terrace.

Shivering in the cold.

Alone.

_1 month earlier..._

"Adrien. Your father has signed you up for Chinese lessons and Fencing lessons," Nathalie said, her voice stony and emotionless. A lingering coldness was audible in her voice. "Chinese and fencing are apparently your weakness. Extra tuition is necessary."

Adrien was seated on a lengthy ebony table, with tall chairs surrounding it. He was lonely, and he wanted some company. The company that he never admitted to wanting.

He stared back at Nathalie, finishing the last of his eggs. He placed the cutlery down gently.

"Why am I going to a public school?" Adrien doubted. "Wouldn't he prefer that I go to some prep school?"

"He would rather you go to the public school," Nathalie replied stonily. "He believes it is best for you."

Adrien frowned suspiciously.

_That's a bit suspicious...especially for someone who admires perfection like my father..._

"Go to your room, Adrien," Nathalie finished. "You must practice your piano. You have an exam on it soon."

"Of course," Adrien beamed. "I have to be the best after all."

Nathalie stared at Adrien, feeling slightly remorseful, but soon shook away the regret.

"You are excused, Adrien."

Adrien left the dining room swiftly, his eyes burning with tiredness and dark bags hung under his eyes.

He didn't care.

All he needed was to be the best. He needed to be as successful as his father, as cold and distant as he was. He was a determined young teenager, never faltering, always keeping his eyes sharp and focused, no matter the problem. Being home-schooled, he always despised going outside and being distracted.

Plagg told me he had been like that for about 5 years. Ever since he was 10. Adrien had despised it in reality, but never came to accept his hatred for his lifestyle.

"His own father robbed him of his own childhood. I guess I'm his only outlet..." Plagg had said.

Adrien entered his bedroom, turning towards his piano. Clean, opulent and elegantly placed in the middle. Shiny and metallic. He long fingers traced over the closed instrument, but felt no excitement or motivation to play it.

His eyes were burning and his body felt as weak as a feather, but still collapsed onto the leather piano seat. Before he opened the piano lid, his eyes caught a tiny paper package that sat neatly on the bed. His curiousity got the better of him, and he slid off his chair and walked towards his bed.

He lifted up the package and noticed there was a tiny note tied to the rope that held the package together. His eyes ran across the words.

**To: Adrien**

_One day. You will find out._

**From: Anonymous**

Adrien hesitated, with uncertainty.

One day he'll find out? What was with the cryptic and obscurely written message? He tried to recognise the handwriting. It was written in elegant cursive, curvy letters with a thin black pen.

_Maybe Nathalie? Definitely not father though..._

He sat the package on his lap as he took a seat on his bed. He slowly unwrapped the rope from the package, the tag along with it. The paper covered a plain white box. He held it up in the air, paused and shook it to feel what was inside. He pressed his ear against the box and he continued to shake it.

_A box? Whatever it is...it's tiny._

He shrugged uncaringly and lifted the lid of the box. Inside was a small octagonal-shaped box. Adrien's fingers travelled along the box, feeling the black-coated mahogany wood. Indistinct and seemingly esoteric red markings spread across the lid. Though some of the paint was peeling and cracked, and the box seemed to have faced many battles.

His curiousity built up, and he finally lifted the lid swiftly, and stared inside. The bottom was made up of a soft velvety material. Nestled within was a tiny pale white ring. The main round circle encased a tiny and almost invisible paw print.

_How boring...it looks like a toy..._

Adrien scooped up the ring and looked at the strange ring and palmed it, poking and prodding it.

_What am I doing? Playing with a toy like a child...am I really that bored?_

He fell backwards on his bed and held it up in the air with both of his hands. He winced slightly, as he could feel a surge of energy coming from it.

It was exciting, impulsive, energetic. Like whatever was inside was waiting to burst out of the ring at any moment.

That excitement was something he wanted but never admitted to wanting.

He slid the ring down his finger. To his amazement, despite looking small, it fit perfectly, almost too perfectly.

Adrien sat up in astonishment as the ring changed colour in a single breath. The white being encased and disappearing into a void of black. The paw-print was suddenly visible, burning a neon green.

The ring suddenly started pinching on his finger and clung onto his hand. In a state of panic, Adrien tried to pull it off, but the ring stayed on. The ring stung Adrien and he whined in pain, as he noticed that the green on the paw-print started growing brighter and brighter. From inside of it, a small creature awoke and appeared.

A creature Adrien had never seen before. His heart was hammering, and eyes were flooded with fear. He tapped on his ring and tried to pull it off again, but nothing happened, the ring stayed on.

"Yo, you're the new owner, huh?" the creature asked casually.

"Huh? W-w-what are you?" Adrien stuttered, backing away from the being. "Are you a genie or something?"

"Please, I'm way better than the genie," it shrugged, a little bit offended. "You got any food here? Being stuck in that ring for a 100 years really works up an appetite, kid."

"Food?" Adrien blinked.

"Food, la nourriture, sapadi," it explained. "Come on you got to have heard of food, you can't live without it."

"Of course I know what food is!" Adrien yelled, slightly embarrassed. "Listen, explain how exactly you came out of a ring and what you are."

"Kwami, that's what the Japanese used to call me," the kwami shrugged. "I like being called a kwami the best honestly. Those other names that other cultures, woo, they sucked. I bet Tikki hated them too. What about we stick with kwami for now?"

Adrien blinked, feeling weirded out. He was so used to hearing people speak methodically, slowly, elegantly and with crisp and clear language that it was hard to keep up with the creature.

"Kwa-mi? Is that your actual name?" Adrien laughed slightly.

"The name's Plagg, us kwami have a... strange pattern when it comes to names," Plagg enlightened. He was looking around the room quizzically, checking out Adrien's room.

"And?"

"And what?"

"You expect me to figure what you're doing here from a simple name?"

"Fine I'll do the dumb introduction," Plagg scoffed, rolling his eyes.

_Not a very focused or interested little thing, is he? He's like the complete opposite of me..._

"My name is Plagg," Plagg repeated from before. "I am the kwami of destruction, basically. Everything that destroys, rusts, rots, decays, combusts and dies...the very idea of destruction was created by me."

"W-wha- are you serious?" Adrien gawked at the tiny creature.

Plagg was motionless, not the least bit surprised. Revelations like that usually illicit those kinds of responses. Of course, you know, I would understand.

"Basically yeah," Plagg yawned. He then paused and smirked. "Wanna see a demonstration of my powers?"

"A demonstration?" Adrien blinked in surprise, then frowned. "Uh, no thanks."

"You seem like the distrusting type, you sure?" Plagg taunted with a devilish grin.

Adrien stared at Plagg's green eyes. They were large and round, dark green eyes, with two tiny black slits in the middle. Whiskers extended from his cheeks and one from his forehead. He had tiny paws and feet, his body was small, but his head large and heavy. He was honestly a strange sight to any human.

Adrien growled. He was meant to be doing his piano, and with Nathalie outside, she would definitely get suspicious if Plagg was telling the truth.

_Maybe I should ignore this weird thing and do my piano..._

"Piano huh? Must be tough," Plagg shrugged. "I tried piano once. You know when you have tiny paws you can't really do much-"

"Did you- did you just read my mind?" Adrien asked, bouncing back, gaping at Plagg.

"Oh yeah, you didn't know that did you," Plagg understood. "But basically yeah. Since you have the ring, I can create a bond with you. Complicated stuff, not worth explaining honestly."

"Yes, it is! I don't know what I'm getting into!" Adrien demanded, wanting answers. "Can you just get to the point?"

"Yeesh, feisty aren't we?" Plagg backed away a little, a bit intimidated. "And here I thought you were a nice boy who only wanted to be the best. Guess kittens have claws."

"W-what?" Adrien stammered. "I don't have claws...ugh what am I doing. I'm talking to a dumb flying rat."

"Oi, we kwami lived for millennia. You humans can't survive even a few decades," Plagg scolded. "Fine whatever. Basically, we kwami can grant people superpowers."

"What, like Superman?" Adrien chuckled lightly, folding his arms. "Come on. Superpowers only end in a lot of meaningless garbage."

It was then that Adrien noticed. It was a bit of an epiphany. It was the most he had ever talked to anyone. It was a strange moment, in which Adrien was showing what he truly was like. Instead of hiding it all within him, for once he let it all out.

_All on a dumb flying rat..._

"Please tell me calling me a flying rat isn't going to be a thing," Plagg groaned.

Adrien couldn't help but smile.

I have to admit, even I agree that Plagg was always quite an interesting character.

"Well, don't tell me that reading my thoughts constantly is going to be a thing," Adrien replied.

"Eh don't worry kid. Reading thoughts takes too much of my energy anyway," Plagg said lazily. "Continuing on, however. The thing you have on your finger is called a miraculous, or miracle stone. It grants the host the power of anything. Creation, Illusion, protection, the list goes on. You have the power of destruction."

"M-me? The power of destruction?" Adrien spluttered. "I can't just destroy stuff! What the heck are you talking about?"

"Simply put, you have the power of night-vision, flexibility, agility and... cataclysm," Plagg explained briefly. "You'll find out once you transform."

"Why do I need all this?" Adrien asked quizzically. "Why do I even need to transform into a superhero. It's not like there's any real danger in Paris."

Plagg frowned, he too was confused. Usually, when he comes out of his ring, there is usually a looming threat present, like a war or some kind of creature threatening the world. Without something dangerous occurring, the miraculous is just a useless toy. But he still appeared to this boy anyway.

"Maybe there is, maybe it means that something bad's gonna happen," Plagg guessed. "Or something, I dunno."

"Adrien? Are you doing your piano? I can't hear anything."

_Speaking of looming threats..._

The door of Adrien's bedroom swung open and Nathalie stepped in, seeming angrier than usual. Adrien hurriedly shut Plagg inside the box with the paper packaging and slid it underneath his bed. He didn't want to cause a giant ruckus in the house. He heard Nathalie's disciplined footsteps as she stopped at his piano, noticing the unoccupied seat.

"Adrien, have you not been playing piano as you have been asked?" Nathalie questioned, turning towards him on his bed.

"Yeah no, sorry about that, Nathalie," Adrien spoke casually, slightly flustered.

"Excuse me?" Nathalie asked, her face more intimidating than ever.

Adrien paused and hesitated, his cheeks continuing to go red.

"I mean, sorry Nathalie, I will get to it right away," Adrien spoke slowly and with a more monotone expression.

"That's better," Nathalie softened. "You start public school in about a month Adrien. You better not get distracted so easily. Your father will be disappointed in you."

Plagg didn't need to read what Adrien was thinking to know what he was going to say.

"I understand."

_I understand. I understand. I understand._

It's something that Adrien tended to say very often. He was lying again. He didn't understand. He never understood. He never understood why his father home-schooled him, why his mother left him, why he is not allowed to have friends, why he was always confined in his room, never to take a step outside.

_I don't understand. I really don't understand. I don't think I ever will._

"I'm sick of this. I don't understand this. Why am I like this? Why is this happening to me?" Adrien mumbled as he fiddled with his fingers.

"Adrien?" Nathalie asked. "Did you say something?"

Adrien hesitated, his brow creased. He then looked up at Nathalie and flashed a huge smile. Another lie.

"Nothing's wrong. I'll get to piano right away, Nathalie," Adrien smiled.

_Nathalie bought it. I can see her lips curl into a small smile._

"That's good Adrien," Nathalie softened a little. "You understand why, of course."

Nathalie swiftly exited the room.

Adrien heard the door close and his eyes dimmed down again, and he opened the box again, letting Plagg fly out.

"Plagg."

Adrien's voice changed. It was low, growly and serious. It was completely foreign to Plagg, it didn't even sound like Adrien when he was talking with just him.

"Transform me."

"Cat."

_Sweet..._

"Chat."

_Warm..._

"Chat Noir."

_Comforting..._

"Chat Noir, come on! Wake up!"

Chat Noir's eyes unfurled roughly, as he snapped awake with a jolt. He yawned and stretched his arms with a grunt. His eyes were a bit blurry, but he immediately recognised who was in front of him.

"Bug?" Chat grumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"It's morning," Ladybug responded. "You were asleep on this terrace for like, who knows how long.

The two were bathed in light orange light, as the two could see the sunrise from the horizon. The light blanketed Paris as the moon disappeared.

Ladybug towered above him, her hands resting on her hips. She too, looked overtaken by fatigue.

Chat Noir chuckled as he got on his feet.

"Were you waiting for prince charming to wake up or something?"

"Quite the contrary, I was waiting for the thief to strike so I could capture him," Ladybug explained. "You think I wouldn't notice you here?"

"You saw me looking at this place huh? I guess you were going to try catch me after all..." Chat said slowly, turning away from her and gazing at the museum. "Too bad we couldn't share a dance."

"More like fighting," Ladybug replied bluntly. "This stealing has gotten out of control Chat, you have to stop."

"Make me," Chat replied his hands by his side.

"I don't want to fight you," Ladybug looked away, rather saddened. She sighed. Her right hand outstretched in front of her towards Chat. "Hand me back your miraculous, please. You know full well how you are supposed to use it."

Chat turned back to Ladybug, her eyes were filled with sadness and worry. He raised an eyebrow with confusion.

"So what? You can hand the miraculous to some other dork who can't even fight?" Chat Noir asked.

Ladybug stared at Chat Noir directly, not faltering, then back at her open palm. She clenched her palm and put it back by her side.

"I don't want to lose you as a partner," Ladybug began slowly. "But I hate seeing you like this, just stealing all the time."

"As if you know me," Chat Noir snorted. "I guess I'll get the ornament some other time, Bug. I've had enough of giving in to everything people say, like an idiot."

Chat Noir climbed up onto the edge of the terrace, and grab his staff from his belt. He extended it and left the building quickly.

"Chat Noir wait!" Ladybug called, her hand extending out again, trying to grab him. She took a step back, not feeling motivated to chase him.

Not that it would do any good.

"I don't know how long I can hold out like this..." she shivered, scared and alone.


	6. Chapter 3 - Unforseen Complications

Police officers swarmed around Marinette, and she felt incredibly crowded. She was sandwiched between two steel chairs, a tall blonde woman sitting left of her. It was rather strange, seeing a girl in pigtails being surrounded by strict uniformed men and women. She felt awkward, and a bit out of place, but that was honestly the least of her worries.

Marinette's breath hitched as she sat outside Roger's offi. She bent her head forward, and felt the weight of distress hanging on her like a giant boulder. She fiddled with her fingers, trying to distract herself.

_She's dead._

_She's dead._

_She's dead._

Marinette's heart felt hollow and dry. A sandstorm was brewing in her throat, her eyes were burning from tiredness and crying too much. Her lips were covered with crevices and dry whiteness.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Marinette breathed raspily, her words barely audible.

Her father was an option, that was for sure, but where was he? The police themselves can't seem to find an answer.

_Was it really just this afternoon that mom was scolding me for not coming home on time? Was it this morning that they casually left for their romantic afternoon walk?_

Marinette felt loneliness wash over her.

Her thoughts tracked back to a few nights back, when she was waiting for Chat Noir to strike at a nearby museum. The annoying cat fell asleep, and she was left to wait for an ambush for several hours. Then, that very same morning, when Nino befriended new boy Adrien Agreste, a strangely brooding and fish-out-of-water boy. Her mind continued to wander. She didn't make it home on time for many days, sometimes midnight, sometimes early morning.

She pressed her eyes closed and black filled her vision. Images of her mother flashed through her mind, of Sabine Dupain-Cheng. She was loving, that was for sure, and had a kind soul. Despite her husband failing at his dream of starting a bakery in Paris, she still supported him and stood by his side no matter what. Marinette admired her mother, always working at home, never forgetting to give her a kiss on the forehead before she left for school, never hesitating when someone was in danger.

When Marinette opened her eyes again, she noticed her hands were shaking violently. She knitted her lips together, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She touched her earrings gently, and rubbed her fingers over them, as if it was a way to give her luck. She then pulled them off, cupping the jewellery in her palm.

_I don't...I don't think Mom would want Ladybug right now..._

She shoved the pair of earrings in her coat pocket.

"Marinette?"

A rough male voice broke her thoughts.

"Y-yes, that's me," Marinette swallowed, looking up to see the hefty police officer.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng..." Roger started gruffly. "It's going to be one long afternoon for you."

"We have a lot to discuss."

**-Marinette's Diary-**

_To: __**?**__? __ﾝﾓﾻ__**?**__? __ﾝﾓﾮ__? __ﾝﾓﾽ__?_

_From:_ Sabine Dupain-Cheng

_Description:_

My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I will be documenting my life in these pages. Whoever takes the time to read it, I might not be able to completely fill this book with every single day. My deepest darkest secrets will be buried in this book, which is why I have locked it with a key that only I hold. Maybe one day, someone will find it. Or I might give my key to them.

_**January 3rd, 20XX, Morning**_

Hi, again, Marinette here.

Not my greatest day today...I was supposed to meet Alya at Della-Robbia's, but I was hours late. Mom and Dad kept me back for about with all these random chores...it was kind of a pain (-3-). Well, I better get going, or else Alya's gonna kill me! (;-;)

_**January 3rd, 20XX, Afternoon**_

Things didn't end well. It was all so sudden...some police came into the cafè and...

I don't know how to write this but...my mother, Sabine Dupain-Cheng died on January 3rd. I don't know if dad knows...the police can't find him. No one can find him.

It hurts. Everything hurts. Nobody's here.

Ladybug's here.

Ladybug protects everyone in Paris, right?

She can protect me right?

_There's an exception to every rule._

I'm not attending school for the next week, they're planning to have me board at Francois-Dupont with Alya instead. With dad gone and me leaving Mylène in the slums...I don't want to go. I'm really scared.

I have to protect it. I have to protect the Parisian slums no matter what the cost. I can't lose it.

I can't.

-**?**? ﾝﾓﾻ**?**? ﾝﾓﾮ? ﾝﾓﾽ?

_**14 years earlier...**_

_Marinette's tiny body ran through the house, jumping up and down excitedly, a cute and cheery grin plastered on her face. Sabine Dupain-Cheng laughed along with her daughter, her blue eyes shining and glistening. Their father marched in, but not menacingly. He was a hefty man with a good heart. He beamed as he saw Sabine pick her daughter up in her arms and spin her around the room._

_"She looks just like you, Sabine," Tom smiled, patting his daughter on the head, his large hand brushing over her loose hair. "She's going to be one beautiful lady."_

_"Yes, she is," Sabine sighed wistfully._

_Marinette's eyes blinked, her cheeks puffed and big. She then gave her parents a tremendously large grin, when she caught their attention._

_"Here darling," Sabine smiled, holding up two hairbands. "Pigtails. You're mommy wore them all the time when she was your age."_

_Sabine's fingers worked through Marinette's hair as she tied up two pigtails symmetrically on either side of her hair. When she was done, she looked at her daughter, who looked oblivious to what was going on._

_"Oh Marinette," Sabine cooed, rubbing her cheeks through her fingers. "You're so cute!"_

_Marinette giggled back._

_"Who are you?" Marinette asked._

_Her eyes were staring at a girl who grabbed two baguettes from the back of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It wasn't even the fresh bread that they served from the inside, it was from a stench-filled bin loitering out back. She looked around Marinette's age, around 6 years old, but her face was dirty and covered in mud. The girl's face flushed in embarrassment as she dropped the baguettes on the ground._

_"Don't take me to jail!" the girl squeaked, raising her hands in the air, turning away from Marinette._

_She immediately started sobbing uncontrollably. Marinette, feeling responsible, tried to console the girl._

_"It's okay, I'll get you better baguettes! Just tell me what you were doing!" Marinette reassured._

_"Me? Isn't it -sniff- obvious?" the girl replied through incoherent sobbing. "I'm stealing."_

_"Stealing?" Marinette frowned. "What does that mean?"_

_"You-you know," the girl squeaked. "When you take something that doesn't belong to you..."_

_"Well, those baguettes belong to me!" Marinette grinned, one hand on her hip, the other on her chest. "And I'll give them to you!"_

_The girl was astonished._

_"Wait here, I'll get you some croissants, and my dad's cookies are legendary here in the slums!" Marinette winked._

_The girl waited outside for a few minutes while Marinette ran into the house. The pig-tailed girl ran back outside, she was holding a home-made blanket, some cookies and two baguettes._

_"Sorry," Marinette panted as she jogged over to the girl. "This is all I could get from my dad. I'll try get croissants next time."_

_The items were all placed rather messily on a tray, and the blanket was slung over her shoulder._

_"Come on! Eat up!" Marinette encouraged as she sat down on the ground._

_The girl reached out for the cookies in a rush, but hesitated, wondering if she should even trust this strange girl. But seeing the confidence in Marinette made her trust in her, so she hurriedly grabbed the cookies, and began chewing away._

_"My name's Marinette! Some people call me Mari, but it sounds like 'husband', so I don't like it that much." Marinette joked._

_She felt a pang of awkwardness when her new acquaintance didn't laugh with her. "Uh, well, what's your name?"_

_As the girl chewed and munched until she finally said her name, "Mylène Haprèle"._

_"I'm pretty sure that's my name, unless they were lying," she muttered under her breath._

_"Pretty sure?" Marinette picked up. "You mean that might not be your name?"_

_Mylène didn't reply, and was too busy eating away. Marinette decided not to ask any more questions, it seemed this hungry girl had been through a lot anyway._

_After finishing her 'meal' of cookies and baguettes Marinette grabbed her blanket and handed it to Mylène with a small smile._

_"Uh here you go," Marinette started. "I'm not very good with the other kids in the Parisian slums, so uhh...I'd like you to have this blanket, to remember me by."_

_Mylène looked at the blanket, then at Marinette. It was stitched by her, no doubt about it. It looked very unprofessional and speedily done._

_Marinette blushed, looking away. It was the first time she had shown any of her stitching to anyone besides her parents. "Uh...I want to be a fashion designer when I grow up so...I hope you like it...it's like my first piece of fashion!"_

_Marinette held it out in front of her for a bit, before Mylène reached out and gently grabbed it with her left hand._

_"Does it have a name?"_

_"A name?"_

_"Every fashion piece..." Mylène said. "They usually have a name, don't they?"_

_"Hmm," Marinette pondered for a moment, her hand resting on her chin. "Well I guess I'll have to call it 'Mylène', don't I? After you, of course!"_

_Mylène gaped at Marinette, surprised at how quickly she seemed to trust people. She had only met her, but it felt like they had known each other for months thanks to how she talked._

_"That...sounds nice," Mylène smiled softly. "It was...nice knowing you...Marinette."_

_"I'm not going anywhere," Marinette laughed. "Where do you live?"_

_Mylène's smile faded in an instant._

_"I'm homeless..."_

_"Oh I see," Marinette replied bluntly. "Well, why don't we meet up somewhere? I know a place you could stay!"_

_"R-really?" Mylène gulped. "I can't live at your house, if that's what you're saying..."_

_"No, it's my secret place," Marinette winked, sticking her tongue out mischievously. "But if you were there, it wouldn't be as lonely!"_

_"You'll come, right?"_

_Mylène paused, and thought about it. She soon couldn't help but laugh to herself. What was she thinking? She never had choices. Ever since the day she was born. It was strange that she even had an option from this girl. As they say, 'beggars can't be choosers'._

_She sighed heavily, making Marinette blink in confusion. She smiled brightly._

_"Yes, I will."_

_**Present Time**_

Mylène Haprèle awoke with slow blinks, as her dreams faded away, and reality washed over her.

Mylène's almond eyes scoured the area as a loud train ran through the train tracks above her. The young teen was curled up under a towering bridge that held the trains that ran by every 15 minutes. She hugged her blanket tightly, covering herself more in the warmth it had. She was a little chubby for her age, but yet she was a bit malnourished. A pink headband was proudly displayed on her forehead, and messy blonde hair spilled all over her neck and shoulders. A tiny emerald necklace was tied around her neck with string, as it glowed dimly on her chest.

Her eyes flitted toward the river of sewage water that trailed along. She was scooched up toward the top of the slopey ground that held up the train bridge. Rats encircled the ground, most likely enjoying the stench. It wasn't where she wanted to be, obviously, as she could smell the stench that it held.

Mylène suddenly yelped as she felt the blanket's stitches poke her. It was an amateur sewing job, done by a close friend.

A close friend she hadn't seen for a while.

"Marinette?" she called out in an inaudible whisper.

Marinette didn't come out at 6:30 that afternoon like she usually did. The sky was almost pitch black now, but Mylène still couldn't hear a chirpy and cute voice call out her name.

Mylène pouted slightly, it wasn't like her at all. The only times Marinette missed meeting up with her at night was when she had school events or her parents had some kind of job for her. In those instance Marinette would usually warn Mylène, but not today. Not even just today, it's been like this for about a week now. No calls, no quick chats, no hugs, Mylène hadn't even seen Marinette.

No food either.

That seemed to be the most important thing, but it was the least of Mylène's worries. For a week, Mylène was only able to supply herself with water from a drinking fountain, and picking fruits from strangers' trees. It wasn't exactly a very healthy diet for a 16-year-old. She usually entrusted that responsibility to Marinette. Some stale bread here and there, cheese on rare occasions, the occasional meat and salad. All from Marinette's home.

She pursed her lips into a thin line uncomfortably, wondering if something had happened to Marinette. Usually, she was a girl who acted as if she had time for everything, even the littlest of things were taken care of.

"Marinette?" Mylène croaked.

"I'm here," a voice whispered back.

Mylène smiled brightly, recognising the voice immediately. She took off her blanket and folded it neatly beside her. She peeked out from the slopey hill and sure enough, Marinette stood, resting her back on some silvery bricks.

"Marinette! Where have you been! I was waiting for a week!" Mylène exclaimed. "I was so worried about you!"

Marinette paused for a moment, her lips parted slightly. Feeling slightly ashamed, she gently gripped the elbow of her arm and couldn't stop staring at the floor. Mylène knew something was off.

"Mylène I-I can't come here anymore..." Marinette finally explained.

"What? Why?" Mylène squeaked. "Did-did something go wrong?"

Marinette's lips were quivering, and her fingers were tingling. She gave Mylène a painful smile.

"Everything went wrong today..." Marinette rasped. She held her head in her hands and covered her face in an attempt to hide her tears.

"Oh Marinette," Mylène sighed empathetically. "Come here."

Marinette sobbed into Mylène's shoulder, tears streaming out of her eyes as a wet stain pooled onto her shirt.

"Mom...Mom died, Mylène...Dad disappeared...I don't know what to do...I can't leave the slums, not now..." Marinette choked, her voice breaking. "I'm-I'm so scared. And now I'm leaving you and-"

"Marinette," Mylène interrupted, with a fierce yet quiet tone. "Please, stop crying, it's going to be okay."

Marinette continued to cry, as the two girls hugged each other tightly.

"I'll...I'll miss you..." Marinette whispered.

"Me too," Mylène replied, feeling tears well up in her eyes as well.

They paused for a moment, as the only sounds came from the raging train above and the soft rustle of leaves.

"So where are you going? Where are you going to live now?"

"I'm going to board at Francois-Dupont. With all the money Mom had for my education," Marinette informed, her voice still raspy. "I'm going to stay at a dorm with Alya...you know that girl from school."

"I see," Mylène bit her lip. "I guess I'm not going to see you again then..."

"I guess so..." Marinette finished. "Mylène...how-how are you going to-"

"I might have to steal," Mylène interrupted, gritting her teeth. It was abrupt, but it needed to be said.

"What?" Marinette gasped, pulling out of the hug. "Don't tell me you were even thinking about doing that!"

"I have to," Mylène explained, shuffling awkwardly. "I don't have a house, an education, I smell like a pig, I'm completely off the grid and now my best friend's leaving me. I have to start stealing or I won't survive."

"I can still come, I can still come and give you food from the school cafeteria, right?" Marinette said hopefully, biting her lip in subdued frustration.

"Marinette, it's...sweet of you," Mylène whispered. "But you've been so distracted lately, I can tell you have your own life to look after. We haven't seen each other in a week, I can tell that you're busy. I-I don't want to interrupt and accidentally ruin all the friendships you have. I think...I'm done."

"Distracted? No I've-I've..." Marinette swallowed, trying to come up with a good explanation.

A wave of silence washed over them, and the girls stood apart from each other, feeling awkward.

Marinette shut her eyes tightly, hating that she wore the ladybug earrings in the first place. Now she can't take them off at all, it didn't matter what her choice was.

"I'm sorry Mylène," Marinette finally said, gritting her teeth. "I-I can't do anything...I... have to leave you behind."

Mylène felt tears well up in her eyes as Marinette said those words. She knew for a fact that Marinette would eventually confess and say that, but deep in her heart, she always hoped she never would.

"Mm..." Mylène mumbled. "I'll miss you, Marinette...see you around."

Mylène knelt down and held her tiny blanket in her hands, hugging it tightly, her face buried in the soft sheet. It was a pathetic attempt to try hide her broken and fatigue-filled face. With a swift turn, she turned away from Marinette, stepping out of the shadows.

"Mylène, wait!" Marinette called, her right hand reaching out to try grasp her.

"What is it?" Mylène didn't dare turn around.

"Please...please don't resort to stealing, you're better than that!" Marinette begged, and an image of the distant Chat Noir flashed through Marinette's mind. "Please..."

There was no reply, just the simple hum of the wind and the soft shower of snow from outside.

"Marinette," Mylène began. "I'm sorry."

Mylène walked away. Marinette never saw her again.

But Ladybug did.

**A/N**

Hey, Variiscite here. I'm updating earlier than usual because of last week's blunder. I hope you liked this chapter, I decided to make Mylène a more key player in the story, and I think it worked. I hope you're enjoying the story, and see you next week!

~Variiscite


	7. Chapter 4 - Misfortune

Alya could feel the awkwardness that hung over the room. She stood right in front of Marinette, who was sitting down on a white mattress.

Alya's room was already a very decorative dorm room. A large cupboard took up the left space of the room, and a bed shuffled off to the left corner along with it. A large window was planted right opposite the front door with floral-patterned curtains. A desk was stationed to the opposite corner with her schoolbooks and other school supplies along with a desk lamp. Posters were placed neatly all around the room, and a clock was perched right above her study desk. Since Marinette has moved in, she bought along all of her things from home, though it wasn't much. A dusty mattress, a dirty duffel bag and a thin cotton bag with her school things.

_The fire at Marinette's home must have been really bad, if this is all she has..._

_A fire along with her mom's murder...how crazy is that?_

Alya then turned her attention back toward Marinette, and examined the girl.

Something seemed off, as if there was something clearly wrong.

Her room was usually a place of wonder and excitement. Alya held precious memories of blissful ignorance where she was stuck in her little bubble, and wrote her stories and blog posts and was able to listen to the hum of the wind from outside. Her room gave her a beautiful view of Paris, and in the far distance, one could make out the tall shape of the Eiffel Tower.

But despite having Marinette in her room multiple times to chat, laugh or play video games and watch rom-coms; this time was different. It felt like there were no options, nothing she could do or say could help. She had never felt more further apart from Marinette in that moment.

_Well, Marinette never did open up about her house life and living conditions...she just seemed like another normal kid who happened to not board at Francois-Dupont._

Marinette was blankly staring down at the carpet floor, unmoving.

Alya didn't know what to say to her best friend.

She knew for a fact that it was probably too much to handle. Losing both her parents, one missing, the other dead, and no longer knowing what life would bring, it was hard. But as much as she understood that, she didn't know what to do.

_Ugh...Nino's better at handling stuff like this...what should I say?_

Marinette's deep sigh broke Alya's racing thoughts.

"Alya, can you...please leave?" Marinette choked. She gave Alya a watery smile which seemed blatantly fake and forced. "I just need to settle in and all that...you know?"

"Uhh, yes! Of course, Marinette, just uhh...tell me if you need anything," Alya stuttered, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head with her hand.

She stepped towards the door and pushed it open. She took a glance at Marinette again, who was gritting her teeth and painfully shutting her eyes tight. Alya pursed her lips uncomfortably, wanting to run back and hug Marinette or say something consoling.

_Not like anything I say will really help..._

Alya closed the door behind her with a tight clang.

"Alya?"

Alya looked up to notice Nino walking up toward her.

"Oh Nino!" Alya then peeked over his shoulder. "And...Adrien..."

"He wanted to come check up on Marinette as well," Nino explained. "He was worried about her, that's all."

Nino then grinned and winked at Adrien, he elbowed him slightly. "Sorry bro, I've kind of got a thing for Marinette, so no moves, okay?"

Adrien said nothing. He simply shifted his weight onto his other leg while looking away from both of them.

Alya raised an eyebrow.

_Jeez, what is this kid, a statue? At this rate, Nino might as well be having a conversation with a rock._

Adrien Agreste was pasty, broody and distant. He shuffled awkwardly and was wearing a suit and tie like some professional. A greyish suit covered a white shirt and black tie. He wore sharp-looking pants and black boots. His hair was combed neatly to perfection and his face was spotless. His posture and features were undeniably reminiscent of his father, Gabriel Agreste. His eyes were a greyish green, basically anaemic. However, despite his strange fashion choices and being a strange character, Alya thought he was cute in a weird way, and almost strangely...muscular?

_Well, he is a model..._

"Can we go inside Alya?" Nino interrupted, showing concern for Marinette. "Is Marinette okay?"

"Nino, umm...she...asked to be alone, actually," Alya explained, slightly ashamed. "I-I didn't know what to do actually..."

Nino recognised and understood how Alya was feeling immediately, and smiled sympathetically. He placed his right hand on her shoulder, flashing a weak grin.

"I'm a bit wrecked, and I hate seeing her like this, but next time, you don't need to use words, just show your support through the littlest things you do," Nino informed. "My mom was like that when my grandmother died. Saying stuff like 'it'll be okay' sometimes makes them feel even worse. Just...help her through how you act, okay? Show don't tell, as they say."

"Oh," Alya blinked, slightly blushing. "Ummm...thanks Nino..."

"No problem."

Adrien observed from a distance at the two, his two hands shoved inside his suit pockets. He felt a bit awkward, like the loser third wheel. Though, he couldn't help but smile a little. The friendship kind of felt him feel warm inside.

But the warmth vanished from his body in a single breath.

He felt a sudden jolt up his spine and his body starting tingling violently, like thorns piercing through his body.

"Adrien, are you okay?" Nino asked, turning towards the blond-haired boy. "You don't look to great."

Adrien pressed his hand on a nearby wall, trying to balance himself and not fall over, his knees shaking.

"I'm f-fine..."

_Ugh...an akuma..._

"An akuma!" Alya cried looking out at the distance.

"Huh?" Adrien choked.

He hurriedly followed Alya's eyes towards the large window pane above them. A hefty tall man crashed through the glass.

He was a French man, adorning a small moustache and had a lack of hair on his head. It was difficult to identify him, since he had a thick black mask covering his face. He was dressed strangely, in a tight suit, and two knifes were held by his sides. A cape followed his movements, trailing behind his back. Thick boots covered his legs, and despite the silly looking costume, there was no doubt he was scaring people. His eyes glimmered a sick purple, and a thin white outline of a butterfly could be seen.

He was angry, and possessed by an akuma, and that was all the teens needed to know.

The man let out a banshee-like scream, and many civilians skittered away in fear. Adrien looked closer at the man, his eyes narrowing to slits. He noticed that the man wasn't angry, but filled with...

_...sadness? Why sadness?_

The man finally said something.

"Miraculous...I want the miraculous..."

He kept repeating the same phrase over and over again.

When the others were distracted, Adrien limped away, still feeling the piercing thorns. Plagg whispered from inside his shirt pocket.

"Come on kid, just make it to the bathroom you'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say Plagg," Adrien hoarsely grunted back. "Ugh when did being a superhero hurt this much?"

Nino's first thought was that they needed to run away immediately, but Alya had a different idea. She was trying to get a better look at the akuma, continuing to stare at the man, trying to record his movements or find clues of his akuma. Her hand automatically reached for her phone.

_This would be perfect for my book! All I need is-_

"Alya! What are you, insane!? Let's move!" Nino cried, pointing toward the emergency exit. "Get Marinette to come out from her room! I'll go and warn the principal!"

"Oh uh...right," Alya blinked back to reality. "Hey, where's Adrien?"

"No time for that!" Nino called out, running towards the the principal's office. "Adrien probably ran somewhere to hide!"

"I'll get Marinette!" Alya called back louder.

Alya's pulse quickened as the akuma let out another deafening cry. Her fingers gripped the door handle, and she pursed her lips.

She hated going against Marinette's wishes, especially when she was so emotionally unstable, but she had no choice.

She pulled down the handle and opened the door.

Alya couldn't believe her eyes. She felt cold air attack her body and saw the large window, now wide open. The curtains danced along with the wind as cold air washed over the room. Books, cupboards and taped-up boxes bathed in thin snowflakes.

The truth hit Alya.

_Marinette jumped out of the window?_

Only minutes earlier...

"Uhh, yes! Of course, Marinette, just uhh...tell me if you need anything," Alya stuttered.

Alya hurriedly left the room, closing the door behind her. Marinette's eyes were still filled with fatigue, and felt like she was drowning.

"Oh mom..." she sniffed. She pressed her hands on her face in shame. Then she remembered Mylène's heartbroken face after she left her by the bridge. It felt like her world was falling apart.

"I'm all alone..."

I couldn't comfort her then...I wish I could. I wish I could have done something to help her feel less alone and scared.

Marinette fell backwards on her mattress. The entire bed wasn't there, just a thin mattress on the floor, and that was all that was left from the Parisian slums. Some rations, a mattress, some of her personal things and stitched up clothes. Not like it was anything new.

"A fire also was set alight in the house, so...this is all I have left," Marinette had said swiftly.

Why Marinette didn't like telling others that she was from the Parisian slums was still a mystery to me.

She simply lied on the bed for a good few minutes, pondering on past events. She wanted to lie there forever.

_"Marinette, you are to have counsel therapy. This is Caline Bustier, or more commonly known as Ms Bustier," Roger had explained. "She is going to help you through your hard times."_

_Marinette turned toward the woman, who looked extremely young, only about 20 yrs old. She was rather beautiful, but seemed slightly unprofessional, as if she didn't know what she was meant to do. _

_Her shiny red hair was scooped up in a neat bun, but a stray hair fell over her eye. Her eyes were a bright blue, and Marinette could see patches of green within them. Two pearl earrings were perched on either side of her ear. She wore an immaculate white suit with a turquoise undershirt. White pants to match and high heels. She was pretty, and Marinette couldn't argue. _

_"Hello Marinette, I'm Ms Bustier-I mean, you already knew that, hehe," Caline blushed, stuttering awkwardly._

_Marinette liked the woman, she seemed a bit relatable, even though she was a bit amateurish. But Marinette couldn't reply in a fun light-hearted way. The loss was still eating her up inside._

_Ms Bustier felt an uncomfortable silence linger in the air as she looked down at the pig-tailed girl. Violet bags hung under her eyes, and her face was dry, as if Marinette cried all her tears away. In a swift movement, and much to Roger's surprise, Caline hugged Marinette._

_Marinette felt an orange-vanilla scent fill her nose, and after a few moments passed, she hugged her back. It felt warm. _

_The two said nothing, and Caline understood how to handle the girl. Marinette didn't like talking that much when bad things happened to her. That's just how she was. Right now what the girl needed was a lot of love and care._

_"Everything isn't okay," Caline finally said._

_Marinette's blue eyes dully shined when she heard it. It was the complete opposite of what Roger had said moments ago._

_Marinette dug her hands into Caline's suit, hugging her more. _

_"But Marinette...things will change...they always do."_

Marinette's thoughts were immediately shattered when she heard a loud scream from outside her room. It was a masculine voice, and it sounded painfully familiar.

She grimaced.

It was an akuma.

What perfect timing.

Marinette shovelled through her pocket, looking for the earrings she took out yesterday afternoon. When she found them, she pinned them on her ears. She didn't have her ears pierced, but they easily stuck to the earlobe despite it all.

Marinette hurried toward the window and strew the curtains closed as darkness invaded the room. She hurriedly pressed her earrings, and closed her eyes.

"Miraculous."

With one word, she felt a wave of red light wash over her and her body transformed. A thick mask appeared on her face, a red suit appeared over her. No matter how many times Marinette transformed, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Where did the clothes go? How can a pair of earrings do this? Is it the same for Chat Noir?

After 3 months though, I guess she stopped commenting on the absurdity of the suit.

She ploughed through her duffel bag, looking for her chunky boots. She quickly put them on, along with some fingerless gloves.

_Well since the undershirt idea didn't work maybe this will..._

She grabbed out a ladybug made hoodie jacket, spotted in black. She quickly covered herself with it. She got rid of her two pigtails, and hung down her hair with a single hair-tie, a long ponytail.

She was a paranoid girl, worried that someone might recognise her unique pigtails. Though, I wish I was there to tell her she needn't worry about things like that.

_So much for having to mourn over mom...Hawkmoth never gives me a break...not even in times like this._

"Get Marinette to come out from her room! I'll go and warn the principal!" _  
_

Ladybug could hear Nino's voice from the other side of the door.

_Crap, I've got to move._

Ladybug hurriedly strew open the curtains and pushed open the window harshly. She perched on the windowsill, and could see the door handle shake slightly.

_Alya is on the other side...dammit move, Marinette!_

Ladybug threw her yoyo toward a nearby building's chimney and flew towards it quickly. She took a long glance back at her new room after she stood on top of the chimney.

Alya had run in, and the horror on her face made Marinette's stomach churn. Alya's eyes darted all over the scene.

Marinette gritted her teeth.

_I don't have time for this dammit!_

She caught sight of the akumatised villian in the distance and threw her yoyo toward their direction, away from Alya.

_I'm sorry Alya..._

Chat Noir was feeling impatient. After transforming, he quickly jumped through the tiny bathroom window, and could still hear the akuma's voice echoing from inside the school building.

The man seemed to continue moving through the building and into the public.

_That's not good..._

Chat Noir closed the bathroom window and extended his staff high so he could get a look at the man. He was outside the front door, terrorising the faculty and the teenagers that tried to run away.

_He's trying to bait me and bug before he does whatever they satisfied their true motives...that's a bit strange for akuma..._

Chat Noir could also get a closer look at the possessed civilian. He couldn't sense a speck of familiarity, meaning that he most likely wasn't from around this area...

It was strange, but whenever Chat Noir or Ladybug sensed some familiarity of the akuma, they most likely had made an acquaintance with them or seen their face. It helped when Chat Noir really wanted to know who Ladybug unmasked, despite the cat stubbornly not admitting it.

_Maybe bug knows who it is..._

The man was obviously stronger than most villains the duo had faced. This man seemed to have a lot more physical capability, able to easily crush a car and damage buildings with a single hit. His blade also seemed to be dipped in poison, which didn't help much. He was aggressive and violent, and showed no remorse for anyone, not even children, which was the most unusual thing.

_Even that Penny girl (or Troublemaker, as Chat Noir called her), who was akumatised showed weakness when it came to children...she didn't lay a finger on them..._

_Whatever hurt this man...it had to be soul-crushing to have this much impact on him. As bug had once put it, the emotional level translates to how powerful the akuma is going to be to defeat._

Chat Noir couldn't help but chuckle.

_She's such a nerd to observe a detail as small as that..._

Chat Noir's eyes caught the akuma getting dangerously close to killing a Parisian.

He finally jumped down from the building.

"Stop!" Ladybug called.

As he leaped in the air, Ladybug's yoyo wrapped around his torso and made him land on the ground on his back. He cringed in pain, feeling annoyed. He looked back at the akuma, who was stopped by the gunfire of the police.

"You're too reckless, Chat Noir, don't be stupid. You could've gotten shot."

"Nice to see you too," Chat Noir grumbled.

He got up on his feet knee by knee, stretching his back and recovering from the fall.

"Hey bug where were you? I could have used a little help!" Chat Noir said through a low growl.

"Let's move," Ladybug ignored his snide remark as her eyes were locked on the akuma, who flew up toward a building.

The man soon started scuttled atop the rooftops seemingly toward the Eiffel Tower. The duo followed the man at a distance, staying behind him by around 10 meters.

"So uhh, what were you doing, busy eating whiteflies?" Chat Noir asked curiously.

The air was icy, and Ladybug said nothing. She was feeling too weak and emotionally broken. Chat Noir suddenly felt a pang of guilt hit him.

_Sheesh, did something happen to tear her up?_

"Chat Noir, just for today," Ladybug finally said. It was an attempt to sound threatening, but it came up with cracks and hoarseness. "Please shut up."

Maybe it was Ladybug feeling weak and broken, or Chat Noir's conscience, but that completely stopped him from making anymore snide remarks or jokes.

As they finally caught up to the akuma, they stationed themselves by a nearby building, observing the tall hefty man. The man jumped from the building, causing a ruckus from down below. He would have been easy to recognise, if it weren't for the akuma that possessed the man. If he were just wearing a weird fake suit, and not possessed by an akuma, they could've recognised him immediately.

"He's baiting us, right?"

"Definitely...he doesn't seem to be looking for a hostage, no revenge on anyone, no real motive..." Ladybug examined. "It's like Hawkmoth found the perfect candidate. But..."

"But?"

"He seems awfully familiar," Ladybug bit her lip.

"I couldn't recognise him, so I thought you would," Chat Noir shrugged. "Be my guest on figuring him out. If worst comes to worst, just take of his mask and try reason with whoever he his."

"Good backup plan," Ladybug said.

"So what should we do?" Chat Noir asked. He leaned into her ear. "You do have a plan, don't you?"

_Better leave all the planning stuff to bug, I don't know how to deal with these possessed weirdos half the time..._

"I think..." Ladybug pondered for a moment.

The man was wild and didn't know where he was. He was disoriented. It wasn't new, most akumatised people weren't aware of what they were doing. She studied for a moment, and realised he was hurting people on purpose, to get something...

"Miraculous...I want their miraculous..."

The man threw knives at innocent citizens with ease, and as soon as they hit the ground he pulled them out with a grunt. Parisians scattered like ants. He wasn't a giant, but he was so aggressive that many were intimidated.

_Knives? Why knives? Whatever happened to this man, it must have scarred him exponentially._

"Alright that's it, I'm done waiting," Chat Noir scowled. "If we don't do something he's actually going to kill someone."

Chat Noir leaped down from the building towards the man.

"Chat Noir wait!"

_He's so reckless..._

Ladybug decided not to join Chat Noir, and continued to observe from a distance. Chat Noir darted across the road and blocked the knives with his staff, trying to push the akumatised villain's defence. He tried to distract the man from hurting the citizens.

"Miraculous..." the man growled.

_What an idiot, he can't take my ring even if he tried. I literally stuck with it. And I wouldn't be surprised if bug is as well._

He tried to aggressively swipe Chat Noir's ring but Chat Noir easily dodged it, readying his staff against the man's fists. He didn't have his knives, so Chat Noir started feeling incredibly confident.

"Nice try buddy," Chat Noir grinned. "And how about that? I didn't even need the bug this time."

Chat Noir quickly scanned the area, all the civilians seemed to have disappeared from the scene. Only empty streets remained.

_Good, now no one can get hurt..._

He whacked the man's fists with his staff, but in retaliation, Chat Noir was harshly thrown toward a brick wall. As Chat Noir was trying to recover, a blood wound was appearing on the back of his head.

_Except me apparently..._

_Ugh...this guy's tougher than I thought._

The man continued to mumble about wanting the miraculous as he hurriedly grabbed his two knives back from the ground. He loomed over Chat Noir who was trying to stand up. The man attacked Chat Noir's eyes but just before it hit, Chat was able to grab the man's wrists. The two struggled for a while, trying to be dominant.

Finally, the man kicked Chat Noir's knees, making the boy loosen his grip. Chat Noir fell backwards on the ground, and he could feel the pain of his blood wound worsening. The man pressed his feet over the boy's ribs, as Chat Noir winced under the weight.

The akuma let out a loud blood-curdling scream, as if it were a calling.

"Oi jerkface," Chat Noir finally whimpered. "What's your ulterior motive? Why were you akumatised?"

The man looked towards Chat Noir and narrowed his eye into slits. He pressed harder on Chat Noir's ribs angrily.

"The miraculous is the only thing that will bring her back! The only thing that will bring my beloved back! That's what Hawkmoth said."

"What?" Chat Noir blinked in surprise.

"He's...he's only after the miraculous! But what happened to make him believe that the miraculous would help him in any way?" Ladybug discovered.

Her many questions were soon to be answered.

The man pressed harder on Chat Noir's chest and Chat Noir squirmed violently, trying to push the man off of him. The akuma grinned widely, and readied himself to attack Chat Noir with the knife.

"Alright I'm done waiting!" Ladybug said. She jumped off the building, and threw her yoyo toward the knife, and tugged harshly. The knife flew out and she grabbed it. She then tossed it aside along with his other knife.

The man took his boot off of Chat Noir, who sat up, coughing and gasping for air. The man gruffly roared for a moment. He stomped toward his knives in anger.

_At least this gives us a chance to discuss what the hell is going on..._

"Why do you want the miraculous?" Ladybug asked edging closer toward the man, trying to block his path to the knives. "Why?"

"Can you bring back my beloved without the miraculous?"

_Whoever this beloved is, she's probably dead...no wonder Hawkmoth attacked this man..._

"I-I...don't know," Ladybug stuttered back. "I'm sorry but you have to get over this...beloved or whatever!"

The man shoved Ladybug off to the side as she yelped in pain, falling toward the ground only to be saved by Chat Noir. He broke fall and slid across the road as he held her closely.

"Nngh..." Chat Noir grunted in pain as he stood up.

"Get the knives!" Ladybug cried.

"You're welcome for the save." Chat Noir growled in annoyance.

He let Ladybug down from his hold. Ladybug pursed her lips, feeling a little embarrassed. She helped him stand up by placing her arm over his shoulders and his over hers.

"Sorry...thanks," Ladybug said and her face softened. "What should we do? At this rate there's no way we can catch his akuma, he already has the knives back!"

"Well apparently you know him. You said he was familiar right?" Chat Noir suggested. "Time to use that backup plan. Take off his mask and maybe you'll recognise him!"

Ladybug nodded. "Well at least you're useful sometimes."

"Oi!"

"Try to recover, I throw you the mask."

The akuma masks aren't as powerful as the masks of the miraculous holders, the duo had figured that out long ago. It was easy to rip it off of their face, and recognise them. It had saved many times. Miraculous masks on the other hand protect the holder far more. The mask is practically stuck on their face half the time.

Ladybug coerced the man to follow her to a corner of the building via her miraculous, all while the man threw his two knives toward her. She swiftly dodged them both, then jumping on his shoulders. She grabbed his mask, and frisbeed it to Chat Noir. The man stumbled, trying to cover his face.

"Got it!" Chat Noir yelled back.

Ladybug jumped off of his shoulders and flung her yoyo all over him, encasing him in her ladybug web. She peeked over, as the man continued to desperately trying to cover his face.

"Now, to see who you are," Ladybug said.

It must have been hard, to think that someone you knew was akumatised. It probably made Marinette feel painfully guilty to think she couldn't have helped them. I know what that's like, of course.

Chat Noir ran toward the two, and held down the man's hands by his side. The man shook his head and struggled, facing away from the duo.

"Can you recognise him? He's pretty damn strong for an akuma," Chat Noir asked through gritted teeth. "Let me help..."

Chat Noir ordered his cataclysm. A floating black ball appeared on his palm, ready to destroy anything he touched. It was more terrifying than many expected, and according to Plagg, more terrifying than Adrien himself would ever expect.

"See this, mister akuma? Open your eyes and face Ladybug unless you want to be remembered as an ashy pile," Chat Noir said menacingly, holding the cataclysm close to the man's chest.

The man immediately obliged, looking up straight at the duo, the face easily visible.

"So? Who is it?"

"He's-he's-"

_Tom Dupain-Cheng. My-my dad..._

The truth hit her like a brick, and it hurt. It hurt a lot.

_Hawkmoth must have told Dad that the only way to bring mom back was by getting our miraculous. But..._

Ladybug stared down at the man blankly, as he violently tried to push and shove his way out of the grip, but Chat Noir continued to threaten hurting him with the cataclysm.

Ladybug clenched her fists and her heart dropped, she felt like it was writhing in agony.

_"He should've been here. He should've been there when mom died. But he wasn't. Why?"_

_"We don't know Marinette, he went missing for some reason," Roger explained. "One second he was cradling her dead body, the next thing you know he ran off. I was only one man you know, I couldn't leave a dead body by itself."_

_"I'm sure he'll show up Marinette," Caline reassured. "Have some patience."_

_Patience..._

_Patience..._

"Hawkmoth you bastard!" Ladybug screamed into the wind, taking Chat Noir aback.

Ladybug fell to her knees, cupping the man's face in her hands. Ladybug could see the white outline in his eyes more clearly, and it hurt her to see him like this. Purple meets blue.

_Hawkmoth...he-he took complete advantage of dad's emotional state._

Everything suddenly fit.

_He was trying to...dad was trying to revive mom...with the only way he knew how._

_Through Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous..._

Chloè Bourgeios was heading home for the day. According to various sources, a dangerous akuma attacked Francois Dupont that morning, so many Parisians were warned and told to head home immediately.

Chloè found the akuma ordeal to be annoying, and incredibly taxing. She had no real respect for Ladybug, even less for Chat Noir. Though she knew that many girls had a thing for the rugged anti-hero, including her 'friend' Sabrina.

She walked down the steps from her prep school as she flicked her blonde hair in the wind, many onlookers whistling towards her direction or other girls looking on with spiteful jealousy. She honestly didn't mind either of those responses.

"Chloè!" a female voice called out from behind her. Sabrina caught up to Chloè in a hurry, soon walking alongside the blond-haired girl. "Are you ready for the fashion show? I heard Gabriel Agreste is attending!"

"Of course I am," Chloè responded a bit harshly. "More importantly, mom's coming, that's mainly what I'm worried about. Besides, I see Gabriel on a daily basis thanks to Adrien."

"Oh yeah, of course," Sabrina blushed, slightly flustered. "What happened to that Dupain-Cheng girl by the way? Did she accept your challenge?"

Chloè pondered for a moment. She had challenged Marinette suddenly and abruptly. But as soon as she saw the girl she saw so much potential it was unreal. In reality, she wasn't confident if Marinette would join the fashion show, but she needed Marinette to. That talent was too much to waste, even for a Francois Dupont girl.

"I want her to," Chloè admitted. "I think I might be able to convince her if I talk to her more..."

"Are you seeing Adrien anytime soon?" Sabrina grinned, moving the conversation along. "How's it going between you two?"

Chloè instinctively blushed hard. Ever since she was little she had a huge crush on the young teen. He always seemed so distant and faraway but he was very special in her heart.

"Nowhere...again," Chloè laughed, but the laugh faded away quickly. "No matter how many times I flirt with him...he always seemed like he was never really there."

_I've been that boy's childhood friend for over 10 years and still I feel like I don't know him._

_Who really is Adrien Agreste?_

Chloè's thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into a stranger harshly on the shoulder. She gritted her teeth as she fell back on the cement pavement, and winced in pain.

"Jeez what are you rock? Watch where you're going!" Chloè complained, rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry," the girl apologised slickly. Her voice was smooth and buttery, but had an Italian tint to it.

The girl had a square face and feline eyes with a puffy lips. Her fringe covered her forehead, and her hair was brown and thick. She adorned a grey romper with a shiny red jacket and long black leggings.

_Well she has a nice fashion sense at least._

"Oh my, you're Chloè Bourgeios, is that right?" the girl laughed. "I've heard so much about you! You're the fashion genius, is that right?"

"Glad to know someone knows a genius when they see one," Chloè grinned, enjoying the attention. "And you are?"

The girl helped Chloè to her feet, her pistachio-coloured eyes shining brightly. She smiled a toothy grin.

"Lila Rossi, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

**A/N**

Woaah that was a long chapter.

I didn't know if I should add Lila early or later to the story, but I thought establishing her now would be best. :)

I forgot to add this detail, because I couldn't fit in naturally, but Chat Noir, not Hawkmoth names the akuma, I think it's kind of cute. He called Penny 'Troublemaker' as a nickname instead of having to call them 'the akuma' or 'the woman/man'. He didn't name Tom this chapter because he didn't want to get on Ladybug's bad side and he already said he was going to shut up anyway. Maybe I can add that detail it in the next chapter.

Also, I might not be able to make a drawing this chapter, maybe I'll add one later, I don't know. I have like 7 minutes to release this chapter anyway ;-;

P.S. I want to add that chapters might change slightly due to minor edits. If there are changes in the story, then I'll definitely tell you in the next A/N. Please spread the word about this novel, it's like really hard to update every weak.

~Variiscite.


	8. Chapter 5 - Abandoned and Lost

"Thanks Ladybug for the help," Roger grunted heavily. He ran his large fingers through his red hair. "This one sure was a handful, huh?"

Ladybug said nothing.

She silently nodded, gripping the warm cup of water in her hand. She was covered with a blanket, and was sitting down on the edge of a brick-made ledge.

Chat Noir had long since left, most likely due to the Roger and the police showing up at the scene. It seemed the cat wasn't in a mood for a chase. Maybe he felt sorry for Ladybug in a way.

Roger felt awkward again. Like how he felt around Marinette that morning, but a bit different. He turned toward the police cars, who had successfully taken Tom Dupain-Cheng in.

"D-do you know where my daughter is?" Tom whimpered softly. "Pl-please, tell me where she is!"

He was comforted by the police, but still eventually taken to the police vehicle.

Ladybug pursed her lips into a thin line.

Comforting was one of the best things Marinette was good at. It made her a stark contrast to Alya. Though, she felt caged this time. Like the earrings prevented her from running into the arms of her father. Like a barrier she couldn't overcome.

"Well, uh you better get going then," Roger shrugged, patting her on the shoulder. "Like I said, well done. I'll let the cat go this time, just 'cause you're here."

Ladybug placed the full water cup by her side and lost the warmth of the blanket. Her body felt weak, her bones were stiff, refusing to move, and she felt slightly dizzy.

"Yeah, I better get going..."

She threw her yoyo onto a nearby building ledge, but just before she could swing away into the Parisian afternoon, she felt a strong hand grip on her shoulder.

"Ladybug, can you tell me something?" Roger asked swiftly.

Ladybug blinked in surprise. Roger generally never liked having a conversation about anything. He found Ladybug's entire persona to be entirely unnecessary, especially since they already had the police around.

"Y-yes?" she replied. "Just make it quick, please."

"The mask," he said, pointing toward his eyes. "Why do you wear it?"

Ladybug's eyes looked away into a faraway direction, then toward the police car that was driving away with her father.

"I..." she began. "I don't know...I don't think I ever will now, Mr Raincomprix."

"I see."

Roger walked away from her, and toward the police, shouting for them to clean up the area.

Ladybug felt slightly ashamed, and a little stupid. The answer was simple wasn't it? An identity can keep me safe and out of danger from the baddies. Isn't that why most superheroes have identities? Batman, Bruce Wayne, Spiderman, Peter Parker and Superman, Clark Kent.

No...the answer...was more complex than that.

More than I would have ever expected.

_3 hours earlier..._

Ladybug continued to hold her father's face in her hands, Chat Noir suspiciously looking onward.

_Who is he? Her dad? How can you get that freaked out over an akuma?_

"Alright, enough crying princess," Chat Noir said bluntly. "Where's the akuma, you can mope later."

Being nice and considerate was off the table at that point for Chat. Every minute they wasted staying there, was a minute in with the akuma could escape again.

"Right," Ladybug replied shortly.

Ladybug wondered where Hawkmoth could have hit him with the akuma. Finding the items were surprisingly the hardest part of purifying them. For Troublemaker it was easy to identify, and for others they were objects they could purify quickly. Her eyes wandered until she looked at his weapons, the two knives.

_Maybe the knife? It is dipped in an eminence-like poison..._

"Chat Noir, try the knives," Ladybug said. Her eyes followed to his sides. "Look!"

He stared at the man, who was holding the knives right next to him. If it weren't for the cataclysm, he would most likely be back to rampaging through the city.

Chat immediately grabbed the two knives, in a hurry to get it over with, and holding it in his hand, he crushed the knives with his cataclysm. The knives rusted and eroded into nothing but ash, back to how they began.

I might sound a bit pretentious, but as I always told Plagg, destruction brings creation.

"Are-are we done?" Chat asked.

"Yeah, Ladybug said, and could see the dead butterfly weakly flap its wings within the crumbled object. "Why does he have to use damn butterflies..."

"Nngh..." Chat growled.

"What is it?" Ladybug asked, concerned.

"The emotions...they're attacking me..." he growled.

For once, Ladybug was glad she didn't have to take the hit instead. If she did...she might have turned into an akuma too. Like father, like daughter as they say.

"Are they gone?" Ladybug asked, helping the poor cat on his feet.

"Yep, but...this one hurt," Chat Noir growled. "How do you deal with these all the time?"

Ladybug would usually respond snarkily, but she didn't want to this time. She turned toward her unconscious father, who didn't seem to be waking up.

"He'll probably get up in about half an hour," Chat Noir yawned, stretching his legs and back. "Who was he, your dad?"

Ladybug knelt down next to Tom and stroked his forehead, feeling tears well up in eyes. Though it wasn't complete sadness, there were patches of happiness. Her father didn't leave her completely...and at least she isn't all alone.

"Yeah..." she began. "He's my dad..."

Chat Noir stared at the man wide-eyed, then up at Ladybug.

"Wait, wait, so you're saying that I just need to find out who this guy is, then his daughter, and that's you!?"

Ladybug chuckled lightly.

"I doubt you know me, Chat Noir," she laughed. She turned to face her father. "Besides...the man he was is gone..."

"I see," Chat Noir shrugged. He was secretly extremely excited with the revelation.

Despite the fact they never show the real identity of an akuma on TV anymore, all he had to do was snatch the data from the police and he'd know who Ladybug was.

He grinned to himself.

_Finally I'll get to know who you are..._

Ladybug glanced at Chat Noir sideways, knowing exactly what he was thinking. She wanted him out of the scene ASAP. No doubt Roger would recognise who her dad was right away.

"Hey Chat you better get going, it won't be long before the cops arrive, you know what I mean?" Ladybug said stonily.

"Ahh," Chat realised as he backed away and prepared to leave. "Later Bug, and stop showing up late!"

"Like I can control when I'm free or not!" she called back.

She sighed.

_Alya's gonna kill me..._

Roger held out his palm in front of his chest stopping the Parisian teen from moving any further.

"That's far enough, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, no visitors allowed to meet pre-akumatised people, even family" he growled roughly. "Anymore visits and you might as well become a police officer yourself."

"That's not what I came here for, Mr Raincomprix," Marinette replied swiftly.

The two were standing outside the police station as the biting, frosty air danced around them.

"I came for you, actually," Marinette asked. "I want to talk about my father."

Roger raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Firstly, I want you to...I want you to make sure my father's identity never reaches the public," Marinette explained, clasping and fiddling with the buttons of her coat. "And also...make sure his face is never shown...even the akumatised version..."

"What are you asking for, your father to be monitored at all times?" Roger scoffed. "We'll try take care of the man, Marinette, but the only person who saw his face were Chat Noir, Ladybug and the cops, I think you'll be fine."

_That's what I'm worried about..._

_Ugh how am I gonna get out of this one?_

"And? What else?" Roger asked, his nose up in the air.

Marinette pursed her lips, and her view turned away from Roger and toward the ground.

"Please can you...give me the records of my father's akuma case?" Marinette asked.

"And you think I'll give you those records like it's bloody christmas?" Roger howled. "Highly confidential records, Marinette."

Roger believed the conversation was over and turned to walk back inside but Marinette stopped him with a firm grip on his wrist.

"Then copies!" Marinette begged. "Send me some copies of the case at least!"

Roger looked back at the girl, who looked like she was completely drained, and washed with desperation.

He sighed, rubbing his forehead with two fingers.

"Why do you want them so badly?" Roger said.

"Because...because..."

_Crud I can't say I'm investigating the murder case as well...that's meant to be Ladybug's job..._

"I want to know the full story," Marinette lied. "I want to know what really happened."

"Well you're asking the wrong person, Marinette," Roger hissed. "I'm sorry, but you're a suspect in the case anyway, it'd be illegal to give you the records."

And that was the end of the conversation. Marinette let go of Roger's wrist, and limply placed it back by her side. She understood why Roger or the police might have suspected her, she was involved somehow anyway...but it still hurt to think that others believed that she killed her own mother.

"Great."

She roughly shoved her hands into her coat-pockets, and walked down the brick stairs, heading toward the Francois-Dupont building.

She blinked the tiredness from her eyes repeatedly, knowing how devastated Alya was probably feeling right now. She gulped harshly.

"Yeah, I know, daddy," a familiarly snobby voice was in earshot of Marinette. "Yes, yes, I know..."

Marinette looked across from the pathway, and noticed Chloè Bourgeious, hands on hips and her nose in the air.

"I love you too daddy," she replied without even a smile.

She hurriedly hung up, a small flustered blush embellished on her cheeks. She neatly packed it away in her purse while picking up a stick of lipstick.

Marinette quietly observed from a distance. Chloè was such a high-brow girl, and yet she saw potential in Marinette's fashion skills. She seemed like a nice girl despite her valley-girl teen attitude.

Her style was more modern, crisp and elegant with colours like silver and gold, while Marinette liked the warmth and comfort of clothes with warm colours like orange or peach.

She let out a sigh, and a small fog escaped her pink lips.

Now she's planted the idea of maybe or maybe not doing the fashion show, she honestly didn't know what to do. On the one hand, it was her big break, she would have been celebrated by the people in the Parisian slums as the hero that deserved so much but on the other, her lack of confidence made it hard to compete with THE Chloè Bourgeious.

With a quick last glance at Chloè, who had finished reapplying her thick red lipstick, Marinette trudged through the cement pathway.

Mylène Haprèle had never stolen a thing before.

Well there have been many attempts before she had met Marinette, but none of them had been exactly what a thief would call 'successful'.

It was, of course, an eventuality and reality she had to face, but stealing was one of those things that she always knew was wrong, especially after Marinette drilling it into her brain.

Her eyes were trained on a large house up north, where all the more 'rich' people resided. It's were the museum was located, and the Francois-Dupont school was as well as the Town Hall. How Marinette managed the trek from the slums to school everyday and back she would never come to understand.

It was a beautiful house, and all the lights were out. What's more, the family's cars were missing, and it was pretty clear the door was locked. Despite being the one who was about to steal something, Mylène's heart was hammering, like it was about to break out of her chest. For a second, she thought about knocking the door, then realising how idiotic it sounded.

It wasn't like Chat Noir knocked on the museum door before he robbed a place.

Speaking of which...

A sudden and small woosh could be heard, and Mylène looked up at the rooftops, and she could catch a glimpse of him racing across, toward the museum. She frowned, didn't Marinette tell her that he tried that place before?

She shook her head trying to focus. There was no time for distractions, she had to work on stealing from this house first. She looked toward a brick ledge that was low enough to climb and that reached up towards the upper floor of the two-storey building. She looked around her surroundings, making sure no one could see her, before grabbing the brick ledge with her fingers and hoisting herself up. As she panted, she clung onto the rough material of the roof. Realising her shoes were useless in this situation, she took them off and climbed up the roof barefoot. She grabbed a window, which led into one of the bedrooms. She took a glance around, trying to come up with an excuse if someone found her. However, Mylène instead found something herself.

She was terrified of heights.

In a rush of panic and a surge of adrenaline, she tried to keep in her feelings of wanting to climb back down and pretend nothing happened. She tried to pry open the windows, which obviously didn't work. The she grabbed a rock, and shut her eyes tightly. This was probably the worst part of the steal. Someone could either catch her if the impact was too loud, or she might injure herself.

She pursed her lips together. She hadn't eaten for about two days. She was craving the taste of warm bread, fresh meat, crunchy vegetables, and for once...clean water.

She crashed the rock through the window, and it was far louder than she expected. She peered around, wondering if anyone had seen her. She saw a few lights turn on in faraway apartments and houses, however eventually, they turned them off and went back to sleep. Unfortunately, a few bits of glass dug into her skin, though nothing not worth food and water.

She sighed in relief and climbed in through the window, trying to unearth the glass fragments.

She drew the curtains closed and crept through the bedroom, feeling around for a switch of sorts. The lights blinked on, and she looked around, mesmerised.

Is this...is this what a real bedroom looks like?

Her heart was still hammering, but now out of wonder and curiousity. The room was taken care of well, beautifully decorated, and whoever lived here had shiny trophies and even a computer.

Seeing a computer for the first time was one of the most amazing things to Mylène. She turned toward the bed, and curiously poked it. She had heard of how soft the beds are in the city from Marinette and her friend Alya's dorm room.

She looked up at the clock, which showed 12:34, yet Mylène couldn't read. She sat down on the bed taking it all in. If it weren't for the orphanage and her parents' abandoning her, maybe she could have had all of this.

She smiled softly.

_Beggars can't be choosers._

She walked out of the room and down the stairs toward the kitchen. The fridge was emaculate, and clean. She turned on the light there too and walked over to the fridge. She opened it and was surprised to feel cold air being thrown her way. She looked at everything inside. Not much, unfortunately.

It seemed as though the family was away for the night.

She noticed there was some sort of warm cup, with a picture of some curvy weird food. She had never seen it before, and never back in the orphanage either. She grabbed it and shut the fridge. She looked at the words on the cup, which seemed to be the instructions or something.

Mylène was also illeterate.

The only words she could read were vowels courtesy of Marinette.

She gritted her teeth, feeling useless for not being able to survive. Suddenly a voice was heard from outside, knocking the door.

"Hello? Nadia? Are you there? You have the bedroom and kitchen light on!" it was a male voice. "I know you're there! Can you come out, something went wrong at the Kids+ place."

Mylène panicked rightfully. She grabbed an empty trash bag, and shoved the cup in along with a few water bottles, cups, untensils and whatever she could recognise as helpful.

"You know I have a key, please come out, it's urgent, Nadia!" the voice persisted.

Mylène swallowed, grabbing an ornament then rushing up the stairs to the way she came in. She went to the bedroom she broke into, and in a panic, grabbing a laptop. However, just as she was about to leave through the window, she tensed up.

What are you doing Mylène? Stealing a laptop? This is too much, even for you.

"Nadia!" the man continued from downstairs, and soon she could hear a clicking noise of an unlocking door.

Mylène put down the laptop on the girl's bedroom before vaulting through the window and drawing the curtains open.

"Eh? Nadia? Are you not there?" the man was inside the house at this point.

Mylène stayed on the rough licking her lips in worry, her eyes bulging with anticipation. She slid across the roof and down to the backyard.

The man finally left, with a grumble, not bothering to check the rooms much to Mylène's relief.

Mylène took a good look inside her trashbag and sitting down, her knees giving way. She had got an apple at least, which she knew was safe to eat and bit it then swallowing it. It felt like there was a hole in her stomach for the past few days with how hungry and thirsty she was.

As day soon broke, and the light of the sun watered over Paris, Mylène decided to trek back to the Parisian slums.

A/N

Hey I'm back! Sorry for the long hiatus!

I'm back, but I'm going on a camp with friends for the next week, so don't expect a chapter...again ;-; for a bit.

I added a few extra bits to chapter 4, but that's about it, nothing crucial. Thank you for reading, and sayonara!

~Variiscite


	9. Chapter 6 -And it Began with an Umbrella

"Alya, let me explain!" Marinette squeaked.

"You jumped out of a window!" Alya yelled back firmly as she returned to pacing around the room frantically. She was vigorously biting her nails, something Alya did often to cope with nervousness or stress.

Marinette bit her lip as she sunk deeper into her dusty white mattress, shuffling her legs closer together. She turned her brain inside out, trying to look for an excuse.

_Other than suicide...why would someone jump out of a building!?_

_Think Marinette think!_

"Ladybug!" Marinette finally blurted out.

"Huh?" Alya halted, turning to face her friend in astonishment.

"Ladybug saw me in your room and uhh..." Marinette stumbled. She never usually stumbled. Lying had become a convenient and practised skill for her through her 6 months. Though when she stumbled, she resorted to excessive and over-the-top hand gestures. "Since I was crying and didn't know what was going on, she burst through the window to save me! Sorry I caused so m-"

"Woah, woah, woah," Alya interrupted sharply. "Hold it right there for a second."

"Okay?"

"Marinette," Alya began cautiously, staring Marinette dead in the eye. "You saw Ladybug?"

"Hhhhyes?" she purred slowly.

It felt like a power move. If Alya knew Marinette saw Ladybug, and was an unexpected fan, it would affect her missions when she's trying to get away from Alya. Then again, it would make her less of a suspect for being Ladybug.

"Interesting," Alya grinned, and her eyes shined. "Mars, you better tell me everything that happened."

_Uh oh..._

_This is not going to go well...I need someone to interrupt or something. Nino please come save me!_

"Well uh...she's like, super cool," Marinette mewled. "And fast?"

"Anything...specifically?" Alya said with an undertone of disappointment.

"She was...very very quiet," Marinette said finally. "Painfully shy. We didn't talk like, at all."

"Really?"

_Well technically, we didn't talk to each other at all._

"Alya! Where's Marinette?" a voice called out as Nino burst throw the door, followed by a meek Adrien.

"I'm here!" Marinette said, a huge grin on her face, relief washing over her face as she shot up from her mattress. "I'm fine! I'm safe!

_Bless you, Nino._

"Uh...okay," Nino replied, slightly stunned. "Where were you? Alya told me she couldn't find you, apparently you jumped out of a window."

Adrien's eyes narrowed to slits as he side-glanced Marinette.

_Jumping out of a window? That's a bit cowardly...isn't it?_

"I didn't jump!" Marinette explained, engaging with her lie more. "Ladybug saved me! She must have thought I was locked in or something!"

"Of course Marinette," Alya said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We believe you, you don't have to be so frantic about it."

"You saw Ladybug?" Adrien asked Marinette with a piercing stare.

Marinette turned toward Adrien, still slightly flustered.

"Yep! She's awfully shy and quiet, y'know," Marinette shrugged. "Didn't say a word to me when she burst open windows and carried me out."

"She can open windows from the outside?" Alya chimed in.

Marinette desperately wanted to get out of the web her friends were tangling her in.

"Well uh...yes! Of course?" Marinette chuckled. "Ladybugs represent luck y'know, she probably used luck."

"Luck is her superpower?" Alya giggled back. "What a lame superpower!"

_Oi Alya..._

"Well, uhh...where were you guys?" Marinette asked.

"Alya and I met up after I helped all the students evacuate the building," Nino grinned, putting himself on a pedestal. "I think Adrien was outside as well...wait...actually, I never saw you.

"Where were you, Adrien?" Alya questioned.

Adrien said nothing for a moment and his brain began to churn.

"My father always told me to stay in one place when an akuma attacked, as in one enclosed room," Adrien clarified. "So I hid in the boys bathroom until it was all over."

_Wow Agreste really does everything his father tells him to do._

"Good call I guess," Nino shrugged. "Next time I think you should stay with the group though."

"Of course," Adrien lied through his teeth.

Nino sighed happily as he landed on Alya's bed. "I guess we have the rest of the day off guys, you want to go anywhere?"

"No, not me," Marinette sighed. "I want to go on a walk. Is it still snowing?"

"Yeah, it is, it looks a bit heavy too," Alya replied, pointing toward her window with her head. "Harsher than before. Want me to come with you?

"No, I just need some time to myself," Marinette smiled weakly. "We can maybe head to Della-Robia's this weekend or something."

"Sure thing Mars," Alya smiled softly. "I need to finish some homework, so I'll leave you all to it."

Nino patted Adrien on the back, as if to say it's time to leave.

Adrien looked back at Marinette quickly, as the blue-eyed girl pulled her cardigan over her body and placed her fluffy earmuffs over her ears. He then turned back to look away from her.

As soon as everyone left the room, Alya felt a weight off of her shoulders. She was feeling a bit over-crowded in her tiny little dorm room. Her eyes caught the now closed window, and she noticed the snow that plummeted to the ground outside. She walked up to it and paused, cocking her head slightly to the side in astonishment.

She felt a sense of excitement growing in her chest.

_Did Ladybug seriously climb in through here?_

Her thoughts rushed back to what Marinette had said before.

_She's a quiet bug, huh? Interesting..._

Instinctively, Alya reached for her phone from her jeans pocket. She plopped down on her chair near by her study desk and opened a new document. The app immediately requested a title. Her fingers flew over the virtual keyboard.

_The Hero of Paris_

Alya crinkled her nose, cringing.

_The hero of Paris? A bit too egotistical...maybe I should work on the name later..._

Alya began to type up her story rapidly. Her thought process was making a fictional character, someone who would represent Ladybug outside of her costume.

_Felicia Bisset._

When Alya had finished a paragraph, she sighed in contemplation. Felicia Bisset, it would seriously be a coincidence if that was Ladybug's true identity...what if Ladybug read my book?

The thought excited her.

Alya read through her paragraph again, biting her lip. Her eyes wandered, searching for places to improve or build upon.

She couldn't help her lips curl up into a smile.

_It's going to be tough for Felicia Bisset._

Harsh was an understatement. The snow outside was never-ending. Buildings and trees outside were cloaked with layers upon layers of snow. The hail and wind continued to sweep across the city of Paris.

Marinette grimaced trying to sink into her cardigan turtleneck.

She shivered and breathed to get back some warmth.

Maybe this walk wasn't such a good idea.

She felt her lips starting to get dry from the wind, and reached her shorts pocket for her home-made lip-balm.

Apparently youtube tutorials can help people create or make anything.

Marinette stood under the cover of the building, before stepping out onto the length of stairs that stretched out in front of her.

"Wait."

"Who's there?" Marinette asked, turning around.

It was Adrien Agreste. Marinette had never heard his voice with such clarity before. He spoke with low mumbling. His voice was smooth, soft yet articulated.

He looked drenched, wearing a brown trench coat and her hair was matted with snow. He was also holding what seemed to be an umbrella.

_He really looks like Gabriel Agreste...his eyes look a bit different to his though..._

"Do you need something, Agreste?" Marinette asked.

"No, in fact, I came here to give you something," Adrien said quietly, pulling out the black umbrella.

Marinette scanned the umbrella, stepping closer toward Adrien. It had the Francois-Dupont insignia on the metal.

Aren't the umbrellas up near the teacher's staff room? He ran all that way?

"Uhh...is this...for me?"

"Yeah? Is something wrong?" Adrien asked, confused.

Marinette smirked, then broke out into a giggle. Her giggle soon turned into immense laughter as she held her sides.

It was the first time she had laughed that hard since Sabine died.

Adrien stared at her, puzzled, still holding the umbrella out.

"Agreste, you must have been really sheltered," Marinette chuckled, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Pardon?" he asked.

Marinette sighed, letting her laughter go as she took the umbrella.

"You know, you don't normally use umbrellas for the snow," Marinette said. "It's kind of inconvenient, actually."

"Inconvenient?" Adrien cocked his head to one side. "Well, I wouldn't know, I've never touched snow, so I always thought it was like rain."

"What the-" Marinette started. "How long have you been living here, Agreste?"

"3 years now."

"How have you not touched snow?"

Adrien pursed his lips, slightly embarrassed.

"My...father doesn't let me out that often. So I usually saw snow from the outside," Adrien explained. "I've...never felt it, honestly."

"I see..." Marinette realised.

_How sad...having no freedom..._

She felt her cheeks suddenly heat up, and she felt a bit dizzy. She held the umbrella tightly in her hands, as if it was going to fly away any minute.

"Well, I guess I should take it back if it's inconvenient to you," Adrien said, reaching out for it.

Marinette quickly held it tightly.

"N-no! It's...it's...okay," Marinette stammered, blushing brightly.

"Are you okay?" Adrien asked. "Your face is bright red."

"Is it?" Marinette asked, feeling over her face.

_What's wrong with me? I feel weird..._

"Maybe you shouldn't go outside, you seem like you have a fever or something," Adrien said, concerned.

Marinette felt even more flustered.

_He's concerned...for me! Wait...why should I care?_

"R-right! Inside I go! To Alya's room! See ya Adrien!" Marinette said through blabbering.

She gripped the umbrella to her chest and hurried up the stairs toward the girls dorms. Adrien blinked in surprise as he stared back after her.

_What a strange girl..._

Adrien smiled a little. He clenched his hand into a fist proudly.

_My second friend..._

"Who was thaat?" Plagg asked mockingly, peeking out through his jacket.

"Plagg? You were hiding in there? Can you give me a little privacy?"

"Nup," Plagg shrugged. "You're room is so boring when you're not around."

"I need to head to the lockers," Adrien said with a sigh, turning his heel toward the lockers. "It's almost time for my indoor fencing lesson. Then it's time to go home..."

"Sure whatever," Plagg said uncaringly.

"And my room is not boring!" Adrien protested.

"Kid, you of all people don't get to decide what's boring or not."

"Haha very funny." Adrien mocked sarcastically.

"You have a heist, don't you Adrien?" Plagg asked. "Stealing police records is illegal, you know that, right?"

Adrien pushed open the turned the combination lock on his locker, his lips pursed together.

"I...In reality I don't trust her, Plagg," Adrien frowned, jerking his locker door open. "It feels like if I don't know anything about her, then I can't be her partner."

Plagg paused for a moment, gazing at Adrien, who was shuffling through his locker.

"You know kid," Plagg finally said. "Sounds like you have a crush on her."

"What?" Adrien sputtered. "No!"

"Yeah, that's exactly the reaction someone would have to that question," Plagg shrugged. "Plus your face is bright red as well."

Adrien began to touch his face, and felt it was burning red.

"I bet I got Marinette's fever or something!" Adrien lied, grabbing his duffel bag and slamming the locker door shut.

"I can read your mind Adrien, you're a mess right now," Plagg said, following Adrien as he walked back toward the front door.

I'm keeping this chapter short and sweet than the usual 2500, so yeah. I am planning to change the schedule to every second Saturday, but if I can get used to it, I'll be back to updating every Saturday. :

~Variiscite


	10. Chapter 7 - Escape

The motel was far from the reach of central Paris. It was manky, shady, held some of Paris's most dangerous criminals, yet was never touched by anyone other than those who lived in the Parisian Slums. Even the name seemed funny, 'Le Porcherie de Paris', or 'The Pigsty of Paris', if you will. The building's walls were covered in dirt, mud, the stench of unwashed blood and urine could be smelt from far away. Many who walked in chose to adorn masks, or large coats so as not to be identified, and usually stayed for only a few days.

That night, as the moon was a glimmering crescent, the gentle flicker of the neon sign could be seen, claiming that 'Le Porcherie' was 'Open all Night'.

Despite most lights being out, there was still one that was on, high up on the 5th floor, occupied by infamous Lila Rossi. Her motel room was ugly, and if there was a hoping that the inside looked better, Lila was thoroughly disappointed. The bed looked as if it had lived there for over 5 years, the window had a giant crack on it, peeling wallpaper was all she could see.

Though she had gotten used to it. Despite usual customers, Lila had stayed there for about a week or two. And the uncomfortable environment was the least of her worries.

She slammed her fist on the table, devastated. In a rush of fury, she violently shoved everything off the table, her notes on the miraculous, books from the library, the few belongings she still had. Her only companion being the dim lamp flickering weakly beside her.

_Dammit!_

She scowled to herself, stray brown hairs falling over her forehead. She stared at the mirror in front of her, looking at her half-cracked and manky reflection.

_How could I have been so stupid!?_

Her eyes were filled with fury as she flopped onto her dirty motel bedroom, pressing her hands over her face in anguish, biting her lip until she couldn't feel the pain.

_No doubt prying Hawky would probably want to know why I'm so pissed._

She gritted her teeth, hating her own foolishness. She sat upright, turning around and edging toward the window behind her . She attempted to wash away her worries in the beautiful view of Paris. Not that the Parisian slums contributed to the attempt though, with the messy raggedness of the streets.

_The musty buildings, the dirt-filled people, the smelly rats. No wonder Paris refused to add it to their tourism pamphlets._

She calmed down through deep breathing, folding her arms over the ledge of the window, her glassy eyes scanning the night sky. Her face fell into her arms, as she thought back to that morning.

One hair.

One dumb, stupid hair was all it took for the police to make a connection to the murders.

_I should've just gone bald before I teamed up with Hawky._

In an attempt to diminish the feeling of anger and regret, Lila looked out and studied the people who roamed around the streets. A man trying to pick up another city woman, shady people creeping in and out of alleyways, a night club with too much loud music.

As her eyes flew past the nightclub, they landed on a young girl wandering around. From her viewpoint, she seemed like a stick figure at best, but she seemed to have wild blonde hair, strange rusty clothing. She also seemed to be carrying a black trash bag around.

Lila bent over the ledge, noticing that the girl threw the trash bag to her side, then scaled her eyes up and down the motel building. The girl grabbed the pipeline and tried to hoist herself up the building with slow steps.

Lila couldn't help but grin.

_How adorable._

Lila couldn't possibly have wanted to miss this pathetic attempt at stealing from someone at the motel.

The young girl continued to hoist herself up. She had skill to an extent, but there was no way she could survive the high building. As the girl climbed up the pipeline, she tried to reach out to a nearby window ledge, but her arms wouldn't reach.

Lila's eyes widened as the girl slipped, screamed and fell onto the granite ground. She landed with a crunch and wailed until she grunted and couldn't get up.

_Too bad...waste of talent. Oh well, it's not like she could've accomplished much living in the slums anyway,_ Lila shrugged to herself uncaringly.

Much to her surprise however, the girl picked herself up, her posture slightly slanted and weak. Her tiny fingers wound around the pipeline again, as she inched herself up the building once again.

Lila was rather amused.

It was kind of interesting to see the girl attempt to retry, over and over again. Though Lila sensed a bit of frustration course through her veins. She furrowed her brow, and realised she was whispering cheers and words under her breath, like 'no, get up!' and, 'put your whole weight into it.'

Before she could think, Lila pushed open the window doors and called out to the girl in a loud voice.

"Oi! You need some help?" Lila wasn't smiling, adorning a more annoyed look.

The girl looked up from toward Lila, blushing hard, and incredibly scared. She cupped her hands together nervously, then nodded slightly. Lila jumped out the window ledge, much to the girl's shock and proceeded to one-hand grab the pipeline, sliding down, then landing on a nearby light and safely landing on the ground.

Lila smiled proudly as the girl gawked at her, her mouth wide open.

"H-how d-did you?" the girl stammered, looking up from Lila's window to Lila herself.

"Skill, hon," Lila boasted, enjoying the moment. "You kind of need that around here, you know."

"Can you teach me!?" the girl cried excitedly, gripping Lila's shoulders, her eyes sparkling.

"Well...I'm not...sure I," Lila began.

Lila stared at the girls pleading eyes, then rolled her head back, sighing, hating herself again for her pity. She pressed her lips together.

_Hawky wouldn't like this but..._

"Fine..." a slight groan could be heard from her voice.

The girl's eyes widened, and she held out her hand for a handshake.

"My name's Mylène! Mylène Harpele!" she grinned.

Lila stared at the outstretched hand, incredibly disturbed.

"What's with the hand?" Lila snorted, staring at Mylène's hand like it was a foreign object.

"It's...a handshake," Mylène said, knitting her eyebrows together in confusion. "It's...what you do when you meet someone. Mari-...someone once told me it's polite to greet people like this."

Lila frowned.

It's not like I haven't seen a handshake before...it's just...no one uses them that often down here, that's all," Lila replied, shaking her hand reluctantly.

She paused, taking a thoughtful moment to look at Mylène. "You know, here in the Parisian slums, is all."

"Ahh," Mylène understood.

_Seems like this little Millie or whatever isn't used to this place..._

"Why are you stealing in the slums anyway, kid?" Lila scoffed running a hand through her brown hair. "You know; up north is the right place to steal."

"Ahh, yes, I know," Mylène replied, her head tilting down. "But...I just...last time I went there I was almost caught, that's all..."

"Scared you, huh?" Lila chuckled slightly. "No need to be scared, you got the loot right?"

Mylène flushed again, incredibly embarrassed.

"Well...yes...but I don't know how to eat the food I got," Mylène squeaked, picking up the thick black trashbag next to her. "This is what I have but...I think I need a microwave or things like that to eat it."

Lila leant over, and dug her hand in the bag and fished out a noodles packet, turning it over and reading the contents and instructions.

"Oh, you only need boiling water for this," Lila shrugged, tossing it to Mylène, who just managed to catch it.

Mylène flushed again, nodding slightly.

"You...do know what food this is...right?" Lila asked, frowning.

Mylène looked up at Lila for a minute, then looked back at the ground, shaking her head slightly.

"They're noodles, two-minute noodles," Lila explained, hands on her hips. "The richies eat it when they're in a hurry."

"Oh," Mylène understood, looking at the packet. "Is it...yummy?"

Lila couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, they are. Just... don't eat them raw."

Mylène smiled back.

"I won't."

"If...if you want," Lila suggested, grabbing the trash bag and tossing it over her shoulder. "I can get some boiling water from the motel."

Mylène smiled, "that'd be really helpful."

"Come on, then," Lila said, turning her heel.

The two headed inside the motel.

Marinette could not stop looking at Adrien.

It might have sounded funny at first, but it was becoming a growing problem. Falling in love had thrown her off so much that whenever someone had mentioned anything like "Adrien" or "Agreste", Marinette couldn't help but rush over.

She couldn't focus on tests, studies or even her fashion since Adrien just occupied her mind all the time. Everytime she sat down on her mattress in Alya's room, savouring a bit of free time to draw fashion sketches, she would find herself drawing sketches of Adrien by accident.

The problem grew worse when Alya and her were around Nino, since that usually had Adrien tagging along as well. Marinette felt as though falling in love was a weird thing for her. She has had admirers before, such as Nathaniel, who had confessed to her last year, and Théo Barbot, who was in love with Ladybug. Chat Noir also probably had a crush on her, but she found the chance unlikely, seeing as he usually left her to deal with the akuma and goes stealing against her wishes.

It wasn't long before Alya had figured it out. Living with her proved challenging, as her Ladybug clothes were almost found.

It was a normal afternoon in her room, Marinette again, finding the blond-haired boy's face sketched onto her sketchbook and Alya intensely typing something on her phone.

"Hey Mars, just quickly," Alya began, the sound of the tapping still audible from her phone. "Can you repeat what happened when Ladybug saved you from during the last akuma attack? Just quickly."

"...Adrien..." Marinette sighed dreamily.

"What?"

"What?"

The teens stared at each other for a bit, as Marinette went bright pink and Alya's eyes were wide in shock.

Marinette slammed her sketchbook closed and placed it next to her.

"Sorry, what did y-you s-say?" Marinette stuttered. "I-uh...wasn't listening b-because..."

"You have a crush on Adrien?" Alya cried out, slamming the phone on her desk, utterly shocked. "You've literally never had a crush on anyone before, not even on celebrities!"

"No I don't! Shut up Alya!" Marinette said, a raging glow of pink on her face. "I mean yeah, I find him attractive, and like, he has a cute mole near his eye, and-"

"Oh my goodness!" Alya snapped, ignoring Marinette. "That means that Nino-"

"Nino?"

Alya blushed harder than before.

"Ni-ni...Ninothing!" Alya stammered.

The girls paused for a moment, completely surprised at each other, trying to calm down. Alya's sigh broke the silence as she got up and sat in front of Marinette on the mattress.

"Well this explains why you've been acting so strangely lately," Alya groaned, pressing a hand on her forehead as Marinette hugged her knees tightly, looking away.

"You could've just told me, I know you can't deal with stuff like this," Alya scolded lightly. "I mean, love, and all that. You were literally laughing through _Titanic_ last week."

Marinette said nothing, just thinking to herself.

"I didn't know if I had a crush on him or anything...besides, he just...kinda..."

"Appeared?" Alya asked, propping a hand on her cheek.

"It's becoming a huge problem, Alya!" Marinette replied harshly, blushing furiously. "I can't focus during those remedial sessions with Ms Bustier, I can't focus on my studies, and anytime someone mentions him, I can't help but notice."

Alya pursed her lips together, then smiled.

"Well, I guess that's how love works for you, Mars," Alya grinned. "You become kinda...obsessed with it, wrapped in it. You just got to find a way to deal with your version of love."

Marinette stared at Alya for a moment, pondering on what she said.

"My version of love?"

"Everyone deals with emotions differently, you know...that includes love," Alya shrugged knowingly.

"What's yours then?"

"Yeah, no way in hell we're discussing my love life right now."

"Ugh...fine..." Marinette said. "What am** I** supposed to then?"

"Well..." Alya leaned back, thinking to herself. "Maybe give you and him a bit of space. Think it out, try find your centre. Please just don't memorise his schedule and stalk him. Stay away for a while, and when you become more confident talk to him casually. Try dating other people or something for a bit."

There was a pause as Marinette hugged her knees tighter, her eyes looking down. She then looked up at Alya and smiled.

"Thanks, Als...I'll...think about it. I mean I'll do it!" Marinette said more confidently.

"Good," Alya replied proudly, clapping her hand over Marinette's shoulder. "There, you feel better?"

"..."

"Yeah Als, thanks."

"So, Ms Rolling, are you feeling better?" Caline asked gently.

Penny tightened the grip of the white blanket around her, still shivering. Her eyes had purple and black rinds around them, and the white in her eyes were veiny and red. Her lips were trembling and her face lost the colour it once had.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, and nodded slightly, still scared.

"They came and saved you ma'am, Ladybug and Chat Noir, that is. Through statistics we have learnt that Hawkmoth never attacks the same people usually, assuming that it is a useless tactic," Caline smiled gently, as Penny returned a watery smile.

Caline laid her small hand on Rolling's shoulder, her eyes shining with confidence in her.

"It...must be hard for you Caline," Penny finally spoke, though extremely hoarsely. "You were assigned all the akuma cases weren't you?"

Caline blinked in surprise, rather confused.

She had never usually had patients talk about her before. It was rather unusual.

"Uhh, I have. I'm yet to have my first session with To-I mean, the akumatised victim, and his daughter," Caline stammered.

_I keep forgetting the victims' names are classified information..._

"Thank you, Caline," Penny sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye. "It's just been...really, really hard..."

Penny once again felt tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

"I'm...I'm j-just thinking about all the people I hurt..." Penny sobbed, her face in her hands, as Caline looked on helplessly. "Oh and Jagged! I let him down so much too!"

"You didn't, Penny, you were possessed," Caline reassured, hugging Penny gently as they stayed for a bit. "Besides, no one other than Ladybug, Chat Noir and the authorities knew it was you, nobody will look at you in scorn, Penny."

"I know but..." Penny began again, releasing Caline from the hug.

She paused, took a deep breath, letting the last of her tears run down her face. She wiped her cheeks dry and tried to smile.

"You're...right Caline, the important thing is, Jagged is safe," Penny gave her a watery smile. "I'm supposed to manage him, and all that..."

"It will hurt for a bit, but eventually, you'll learn to adjust to normal life again, Ms. Rolling," Caline said, stamping Penny's return form. "Here, take this out back, they'll let you head back."

"Thank you, Caline," Penny smiled. "Thank you for the help for the past few weeks, I wish we could have met on different terms, though."

Penny took off the blanket, and headed out excitedly with her form.

"Wait Penny!" Caline called out just as she reached the door. "Be sure you take a shower before you go."

Penny ran her hand through her pixie haircut and felt her face, then sniffed her clothes, feeling disgusted, then ferociously nodded.

"Definitely!"

Penny Rolling stepped out of the taxi, breathing in the fresh central Paris city air, as her eyes scanned the tall buildings around her. She walked up to "Le Grand Paris" hotel, and nodded at the guards as she walked through the tall metallic doors.

"Ah, Ms. Rolling! Lovely to see you again!" boomed Mr Bourgeois with a warm smile.

They greeted each other with a kiss on both cheeks, until Penny looked down to see the young Chloé standing next to him, flipping her hair casually.

"Ah, Chloé, it's been a while since I've seen you," Penny smiled.

"Same," Chloé replied smartly and coolly. "How was America?"

"Uh, good, I suppose," Penny stumbled. "It was...very enlightening for me."

Chloé frowned suspiciously.

"You're entering that fashion show, correct?" Penny asked, as Mr Bourgeios hurried off upstairs for some emergency.

"Ah yes, there seems to be a ball as well," Chloé replied, blushing slightly. "The umm...Agrestes will be there..."

Penny chuckled. "Same little lovestruck girl, aren't you?"

Chloé looked up meekly at Penny, then smiled softly. "I'm...glad you're back...I missed you..."

Penny blinked, then broke into a smile. "Yeah, me too, kid."

"Jagged's in Room 15, 3rd floor," Chloé said, cupping her hands together in front of her. She then urged Penny to lean down to her.

"He wouldn't even leave his room all week, kept saying he missed you and didn't want the substitute manager!" Chloé whispered.

She grinned smugly as Penny blushed brightly.

"Well, I uh...better go see him then," Penny said sheepishly, looking away from Chloé.

"Yeah, you better go do that, then," Chloé said, folding her arms. "I've got a date of sorts with Adrien, see you, Manager Rolling."

"Ahh that girl..." Penny muttered, watching Chloé sashay away out the hotel.

Penny looked up toward the stairs.

_So...he missed me that much huh?_

She smiled softly as she scurried up the stairs toward the third floor. She walked past the array of rooms, looking carefully at each sign.

"Room...15...wasn't it?" Penny squinted her eyes, making sure it was the right room.

To her surprise, the door was wide open.

"Intruder Alert, Intruder Alert!" the hotel room speakers screeched, to Penny's alarm.

"Oh no an intruder!" Penny gasped. "Jagged! Jagged! Are you in here? There's an...in...intr...in..."

Penny's voice broke off, and she choked on her own breath. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, and her face went pale again. She fell to her knees, and felt tears stream down her eyes.

Jagged Stone's body was on the ground with multiple stab wounds.

Dead.

...

She didn't even notice the stray brown hair resting atop him.

Hello, this is Variiscite. Sorry this wasn't such a long chapter, and the hiatus was like a month (really sorry I needed to work the story out more!) So I'll update this earlier than usual. I found a huge plot hole I needed to fix, :L

Thank you for all the supportive comments! It's really helped me ploughed through. Sorry about the lack of Adrien, I was kind of annoyed myself -.-

~Variiscite


	11. Chapter 8 - Troublemaker Returns

Far from the motel in the slums, closer toward the boundary that separated the slums from the central part of Paris, stood a group of homeless men huddled around a pit of fire, trying to find warmth in the freezing night. The fire blazed, and the men watched the flames snake up into the air and dissolve. A road snaked around beside them, a place where shady thieves and scoundrels wander. The men sat peacefully, some smiling at the fire, lost in thought.

It was silent...nothing but them and the stars.

Chat Noir shivered slightly, trying to find warmth by edging closer toward the pit of fire. He rubbed her arms up and down, and felt goosebumps up his neck. He had been teasing Ladybug for wearing a hoodie and boots over her superhero outfit, but he was starting to understand the practical aspect of the idea.

_It's like this winter is never-ending...when's spring coming anyway? Seriously, what's wrong with the weather in Paris?_

His eyes scanned the area, tapping his foot impatiently, growling under his breath. The three others surrounding the fire looked snug, warm under blankets as they placed their palms open over the fire.

"Eh," one man chuckled at the impatient thief. "E'll come, cat boy, jes' wait a l'il. Kid likes to make a more of a hehe, what you say? Gran' entrance."

Chat Noir's green eyes stared at the man, frowning. He then turned away as if he'd just seen the most disgusting creature on earth. He wasn't exactly used to people from the slums, he rarely went out to meet Kim anyway.

_You meet the weirdest-ass people in the slums...well whatever, he's the only lead I've got anyway._

He decided to finally settle down on the cement floor, sitting down by the fire.. It wasn't easy waiting for someone like Kim Chiến Lê. He was a slippery snake, that's for sure, but he was Chat Noir's only key to the underground world of Paris. It's where he got most of his clients and what he had to steal. The only one who has any contact with Chat Noir, other than Ladybug, of course.

Kim himself hadn't recognised that Chat Noir was a boy in his class. The famed Adrien Agreste the model. Kim was always known as the more out there, outgoing jokester in the class, but tended to side with the wrong people. Like scoundrels, thieves, even murderers to some extent.

He was one of Chat Noir's closest friends, outside of Nino.

_Not that I would really count Bug as a friend...more of a...partner._

Chat Noir's thoughts wandered as he looked up at the sky. It wasn't a full moon yet, it looked as though it was almost there, as if someone had nibbled the edge off cleanly. The night sky was usually barred by his large glass window. All he would see was his reflection lightly over the moon, as a cold reminder he couldn't leave his room.

_The moon looks prettier without the glass..._

Chat Noir tried to ignore his now scrambling thoughts and turned his attention back to the orangey flames. The sparks flew up and died into the air. His eyes closed, and he felt rather drowsy, enjoying the warmth of the fire. His mind relaxed a little, as his bell let off a small chime.

_Warmth...warmth...All I want is..._

"Oi, CAT!"

"Hmm?" Chat Noir blinked before waking up suddenly. He got on his feet and spun around to notice Kim walking down the road, grinning at Chat with a toothy smile. "Kim?"

Kim was wearing a long black coat, curtesy of Gabriel Agreste. He also seemed to be wearing a suit with a crisp and unrumpled red tie tucked behind a black suit. His outfit made him look like he was heading off to a wedding.

_What the- he looks like he...actually cared about his appearance for once._

"How's my favourite thief doing?" he chuckled, casually thumping Chat Noir on the back. "Wasn't too hard to find me this time, huh?"

"No, it was hell," Chat Noir growled. "It took me about 2 days, Kim."

"Aww, you're my best friend too, cat," Kim grinned again, placing his arm around Chat's shoulder. "So, how's it going?"

As much as Chat Noir wanted to converse and catch up with Kim, he wasn't feeling in his right mind then. He felt the need to vent out his feelings somehow, whatever the feelings were. He just needed to get out of Francois-Dupont for a bit, maybe even escape from helping Bug for now. He missed casually going out and stealing.

As Chat was lost deep in thought, Kim smoothed back his hair until he was satisfied and grinned. He neatly smoothed down his jacket and wouldn't stop grinning.

Chat Noir frowned in suspicion.

"What are you doing?"

"Preparing for a date, of course," Kim said smelling his own breath. "I got a cute one this time, Cat! Trust me."

"Listen Kim, I don't care about your love life right now," Chat Noir said impatiently. "What I need right now is a steal, any steal, I don't care."

"Desperate, are we?" Kim chuckled. "Well lucky for you, I got just the case for you! While I was out at the Gran-"

"Kim, please just tell me what it is!" Chat Noir urged, frowning, feeling extremely antsy. "I'm in a hurry, okay?"

"Alright, alright, some brunette chick approached me today in the slums." Kim grumbled, annoyed at the impatience. He reached into his suit pocket and dug out a piece of paper and gave it to Chat Noir. "All the information you need is here, Cat."

"Great thanks!" Chat Noir smiled, breaking into a grin. "Good luck with your date or whatever!"

He started to run off while Kim stared back, tutting.

"Reckless and immature as usual." Kim placed his hands on his hips. He turned toward the men huddled around the fire.

"Well gentlemen I bid you adieu, a certain Chloé Bourgeois awaits my presence."

It took a while to actually read the note properly. Though it was nothing really that new.

Kim was half-American half-French, and had only moved to France about a year ago.

His accent was only just really developing, but his writing was still as terrible as ever.

"Near the...street...of...Cornwall? Cornwall! 24 st Cornwall upstate. And...It will be obvious what you need to steal when you get there." Chat finally finished, sighing in relief. "Well, the hard part's over."

He clambered up the rooftops and breathed in the Parisian air. Entangled in the freshness was the obvious sickly pollution that always lingered, but Chat Noir didn't care. He finally had a steal. His heart was doing backflips.

There was something weirdly enticing and exhilarating about crashing into someone's house or a museum uninvited, constantly under the pressure of almost being caught and the relief when you make it out alive.

Chat Noir realised that Bug might be up too. What if she interrupts his heist like last time?

_Hope she doesn't mess it up this time too._

Chat Noir felt Plagg's thoughts echo in his mind.

_You were the one who fell asleep before she could even catch you, idiot._

Chat Noir's cheeks coloured, and he shook his head to wash away his thoughts. He read the paper repeatedly until he could perfectly commit it to his memory. He ripped the paper up into tiny shreds and let them fall down through a narrow alleyway.

His green eyes were ignited with an adrenaline rush as he extended his staff and flew through the Parisian night.

Despite being stuck at home for three years, and only being Chat Noir for 6 months, he had gotten quite used to the streets. He recalled stealing from a house around Cornwall before Ladybug or akumas started showing up.

He sighed as he leapt from a high roof down to a terrace.

_Ahh...those were the days..._

_No pesky Bug...no akuma...no...no one on my back..._

He extended his staff and flew through the night, excitement coursing through his veins. His eyes were trained on a cluster of houses far from the Parisian slums.

It took him a few minutes to reach there, and trying not getting spotted by anyone was no easy feat either. He mulled on a rooftop terrace, crouched behind a chimney. He turned on his night vision and green coloured his vision. He could see more clearly, but there was a strange stinging pain in his eyes. It was normal though, night vision was never really meant for humans.

He read the numbers on each house's sign post.

_20...21...23...24! What...what?_

It wasn't even a house, and looking more clearly, he noticed a broken 'For Sale' sign leaning on the mailbox. It was more of a shack if anything. It didn't look like any of the other houses, and it stuck out like a sore thumb since it was made of rotting wood.

Nevertheless, Chat Noir still jumped down from the rooftop and landed on the road gracefully. He crawled across the road, trying to keep a low profile.

_Is there even anyone who lives here?_

A sweet whistle of the wind brushed past him and Chat Noir felt a chill. He suddenly doubted the authenticity of the steal.

It was rather abnormal to get prank steals from clients, since Kim is extremely careful on who he gives Chat Noir's contacts to. The only time Chat Noir ever got a prank was on the very first mission, when everybody thought his service of 'destroying anything he touches' was really stupid.

_But a prank...now? When everyone knows my abilities...it's...strange..._

He wondered about who Kim would give his contacts to.

_He was in lovesick mode today...hopefully that didn't make him sloppy._

Chat Noir swallowed a lump in his throat, worried.

Then again, it might not be a prank at all, who knows? Chat Noir stepped through the house, and begged that the door wouldn't creak when it slid open. He stepped into the house, shutting the door behind him slowly.

There was nothing inside, just a labyrinth of rooms, no light, just complete darkness.

Chat Noir was tempted to turn night vision on again, but he was starting to get a splitting headache from it.

Luckily, he wasn't completely blind. The wood walls around him had cracks and what seemed like burn marks that had singed holes through it. Moonlight poured through the cracks and holes, but still Chat Noir felt...strange.

There was a stench of smoke and burning that would not go away as he continued onwards. For a moment he swore he felt something scurry past him.

He tried to recall what the note had said.

_It will be obvious what you need to steal when you get there. _

Chat Noir pursed his lips.

_Come to think of it...that's a rather vague answer...I didn't give the note much thought either..._

Chat Noir continued through the house, walking slowly and carefully. His eyes darted around the building, trying to found something obvious and easy to find.  
_  
_

_Creak._

Chat Noir turned around in a second, his brow tensing.

"Who's there!" he called out, holding his hand out threateningly and placing his free hand on it.

He heard footsteps circling around him, and he panicked, feeling trapped. He pushed on, scanning every direction to find the figure.

"I'm not afraid to use my cataclysm!" he warned.

He could hear the distinct sound of childish giggling.

His ears perked up, he had heard that giggling somewhere before...but where?

_Think...think dammit!_

"Do I know you?" Chat Noir asked. "Are you-"

Flames suddenly sprang up all around him, trapping him inside a circle of fire. They were bright and mesmerising, unlike anything Chat Noir had ever seen. They danced in the wind, and despite the wintry air, they didn't show a hint of dying. The flames lit up the entire room, but through the blurry haze, Chat Noir couldn't make out anything.

"Who-who's there?" Chat Noir cried out, trying to sound intimidating, but couldn't stop his voice breaking.

"My my, kitty," the voice cooed childishly. All Chat Noir could make out was a small silhouetted in the flames. "Don't tell me you've forgotten?"

The figure entered through the flames into the fire.

"No..." Chat Noir swallowed. "Troublemaker?"

"Aww, you remembered?" she giggled.

_Crap...it took us 5 hours to neutralise her...why has she returned? Didn't the police take care of her? She shouldn't be under the influence of negative emotions anymore..._

While Chat Noir was trying to find answers, she laughed mockingly, but her she looked as though she hadn't been happy for ages. Her face was sallow and thin, her cheekbones prominent, and her eyes blazed purple. Her smile gave Chat Noir chills down his back.

_Who...who the hell smiles like that?_

"Troublemaker..." she mimiced Chat Noir, shrugging, then looked at him dead in the eye.

"At first, I didn't like the nickname, but I guess it grew on me," her voice reeked of confidence. "At first I wanted revenge, but he changed my mind, you know."

"...He?" Chat Noir asked tensely, trying to back away from her, lowering his arm down.

"Why of course, the little butterfly," Troublemaker said, admiring the flames that towered around them. "He showed me something better than finding that murderer..."

"Revenge is dated, kitty," she giggled again.

"Oh is it?" Chat Noir said, desperately trying to drag on the conversation.

"All I want right now..." she said as she held out her hand beside her. A spark ignited from her palm, and a ball of flame settled on her hand.

"Is to watch you burn."

One of the many things that Marinette has always been against was stealing, no matter the scenario.

She met Mylène when she tried to steal something from her parents' bakery, Chat Noir is literally the most well-known thief in Paris, and Hawkmoth stole her mother and father from her. She despised it.

But she had never felt more tempted to steal something in her life before now.

It had felt like a normal afternoon.

She finished her homework, just barely before class, did some karaoke with Alya, Nino and Adrien, who seemed to be settling in well with the group. Then planned to meet Ms Bustier at the police precinct.

Ms Bustier was really warming up to her, and she found it difficult to believe that she worked also as a secretary at the precinct.

_She really works hard huh..._

"I'll be right back, Marinette," Caline said sweetly, as the two entered the building. "Just wait here, and I'll go get my jacket, why don't we go to Della Robbia's, or even Schaeffer's?"

"Schaeffer's is fine," Marinette replied, her eyes shining.

She was starting to get rather used to Caline's dorkiness, and appreciated how she took the time to take her around Paris to get her mind off different things.

Caline returned a warm smile and rushed off into the police precinct's to find her jacket. Much to Marinette's dismay, to the left of her, was Raincomprix's office, his desk covered with food, piles of books and letters, but most importantly, what her sharp eye caught as her father's akuma case file.

It rested innocently on his desk, just waiting to be opened.

It was getting difficult to uncover the secrets of Hawkmoth, and what she believed as something dangerous happening in Paris, when she didn't have access to the things that the police did.

She pursed her lips, trying to keep her feet rooted to the ground.

Chat Noir wasn't helping, saying that purifying the akumas was about how much he was helping at that time. He'll only step in if it's something deranged happened like a massacre or an akuma outbreak.

_Great, Chat, that leaves me with soo many options..._

She tried to focus on other things, her studies, friends...Adrien...

Her cheeks coloured red suddenly. Taking Alya's advice had been seriously helpful. Her mind didn't wander to Adrien every five seconds, she wasn't as obsessive and crazy as before, and she didn't get jealous every time a girl asked for his autograph. Though something was strange in how he was acting at karaoke...it seemed he was more...antisocial than usual. Of course this was nothing new for Adrien, but he seemed antsy, like he was in a big hurry to leave.

She sighed in annoyance. It was getting rather difficult to talk to him. I wish I could have been there to help...maybe even support her. What could I have done?

_It was time to move past Adrien...time to think about that fashion show..._

"Move, move move!" a loud voice boomed in the precinct hallway.

The bulky Roger Raincomprix stomped his way through the hallway, shoving anyone who would get in his way. Marinette was an unfortunate victim of this, and was thrust against the precinct wall with an annoyed grunt.

Marinette got to her feet and looked to see dozens of policemen racing to the cop cars. She tried eavesdropping on the conversation to find out was was going on.

"What's going on?"

"Something about a fire?"

"Fire? So? Let the fire department handle this one."

"Oh, no we can't?"

"Why not?"

Marinette listened carefully as her eyes widened.

"'Cause apparently Chat Noir's there for some reason."

Marinette bit her bottom lip in worry.

_...What the hell? What's Chat Noir doing...his cataclysm can't result in fires...right?_

"Marinette!" Caline called out in surprise, weaving her way through the stampede. "Hurry, get inside that office, I need to call Penny!"

"Huh?" Marinette questioned. "Penny as in-"

Marinette couldn't finish her sentence as Caline hurried into the room and slammed the door behind her, blocking out the loud shouts of anger and worry from outside. Caline grabbed out her phone from her jacket and fervently typed something before hurriedly calling Penny.

Marinette stood by Roger's desk, trying to look anywhere but at the desk. It was like her conscience and her impatience of finding out more about Hawkmoth were having an inward struggle.

Before she could stop herself, Marinette grabbed the file from the desk, and hid it behind her, shoving it underneath her red coat.

"Penny? Penny?" Caline repeated, calling the number again and again. She pinched her forehead anxiously.

"Uhh...Ms Bustier, is everything okay?" Marinette asked meekly.

"No Marinette, no." Caline replied stonily. "Troub-I mean Penny is...my friend and I don't know where she is..."

Marinette knitted her eyebrows together curiously.

_Penny? Troub as in Troublemaker? Didn't we take her down a few weeks ago? If the thing with Chat Noir and Troublemaker are connected..._

Marinette immediately started making assumptions on the situation, and couldn't stop worrying.

"Uh, Ms Bustier," Marinette said clearly, tugging at the red-haired woman's sleeve. She tried her best to look pale and scared. "I'm uhh, a bit scared...can I go home?"

Ms Bustier studied the young girl, and sympathy welled up in her eyes.

_Oh this poor thing, she's seen enough tragedy, anything more traumatic could stain her mind permanently..._

Ms Buster tried to smile warmly, but her lips twitched in fear.

"Of course, Marinette, head back to Francois Dupont and stay with Alya," Ms Bustier said, placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Just one more week and you can stay back with your dad, just be patient."

"I will," Marinette swallowed. "I'll...try my best to...be...patient."

The uncertainty in Marinette's voice was certainly worrying, but Caline didn't have time to stop and think, she needed to reach Penny.

And she needed to reach her fast.

"You choose your victims rather carefully don't you?" Lila said lazily, reading the back of a chips packet carefully.

You're rather smart...of course I do...I'm not idiotic enough to not choose someone that carefully.

"Patterns, huh?" Lila grinned to herself, ripping open the chips packet. "As every serial killer does, of course. Maybe..."

Lila paused. "You'll tell me the pattern one day..."

There was a silence in the room, as a cold breeze filled the motel room through the cracked windows.

Indeed.

Lila smiled smugly, feeling slightly triumphant.

However Lila...

"Hmm? What's up?" Lila questioned, tossing a chip into her mouth.

It was sudden, it was sharp, and to Lila's annoyance, surprising.

Her eyes bulged as she felt a burning pain coursing through her body. Her veins were more easier to see, her shoulder was aching more than anything, and her miraculous was burning like fire.

She lost control of her body, and her chips packet collapsed onto the floor. Her body twitched and rocked, and the pain was unbearable. She almost felt like crying. Her mouth was too weak to say anything.

"S...s...st-" she wanted to finish her sentence, but her body didn't stop hurting.

After a few minutes of intense pain, she caught her breath, and sat upright. She coughed violently for a moment, gripping her foxtail necklace like a lifeline. She cleared her throat, and soon, the pain left, and her body returned to normal as if nothing happened.

Her hands reached her shoulder, where the pain still ensued.

Her shoulder always hurt...every time Hawkmoth spoke to her telepathically.

"Wh-why the hell?"

Call it punishment, Ms. Rossi. For failing last time. I believe I was clear when I said, no trace left behind.

Lila swore under her breath in anger, staring at her brown hair with intense hatred.

I am done here. You may resume with your day.

With that, the burning sensation in her shoulder vanished, and Lila sighed in relief.

Nowadays, the only things that ever made her calm were the moments when she wasn't talking to Hawkmoth.

"Lila?" a sweet voice chirped as the door creaked open. "I got it! We can have our...what did you call it 'movie night'?"

Mylène smiled sweetly, holding a pizza and a bottle of soda. She then frowned in annoyance as she looked at the fallen packet of chips on the floor.

"Oh come on Lila, be careful! We almost got caught when we stole those!" Mylène scolded, placing the pizza on the desk and popping the bottle of soda open.

"Yeah, the chips make a killer noise...crinkly as hell," Lila said hoarsely.

"Is something wrong with you? You're sweating like a pig." Mylène asked, pouring the soda into two styrofoam cups.

"The heat, it's the heat." Lila replied hurriedly, feeling up her forehead.

"It's winter."

Lila couldn't give back a retort, despite opening her mouth.

Mylène looked at Lila sadly.

They had been working together for almost a week now, but Lila felt a bit more distant than Marinette did.

"Hey, here's a cup of soda," Mylène said, holding out the soda. "We...can watch that show you like...the TV here is awful but...Game of Thrones, was it?"

Lila's green eyes felt bright again, as she accepted the soda. She took a good drink and held it in her hands.

"Yeah, lets'."

Hello there, fortnightly updates are working great for me! I just made the deadline, and I'm about to make the artwork, so don't be surprised if it shows up a few minutes late :

Nothing more to add, I'm just glad y'all are reading my story! Comment any criticisms or grammar mistakes, I'll try fix them, and positive comments are always welcome!

~Variiscite


	12. Chapter 9 - Troublemaker Returns (Part 2

You know, for a moment, Chat Noir thought he was going to die.

He thought that Ladybug and the police were going to find his charred body in a stupid and obvious trap shack he shouldn't have entered, and talk about how much safer Paris would become.

He thought about his family, his parents. His father.

Heh, that was a funny thought. To think that his father would be worried.

He simply cares about perfection.

Chat Noir hesitantly backed away only to be trapped by more flames. The flames looked as though they were taunting him reaching out to him then backing away suddenly. He felt his body start to lose moisture quickly. His breathing started to get desperate and fast. He looked down at his miraculous, hoping for some kind of comfort.

But his hand stung in pain as his ring tightened around his finger.

It was as if it was screaming in his ear repeatedly.

_DANGER_

_GET AWAY_

_DANGER_

Chat Noir bit his lip tightly as he tried to think of ways to escape. He reached out to the fire, praying that his suit was fireproof but a scalding burn made him yank his hand away.

He cursed under his breath.

His fingers burned as the flames peeled away his protective suit exposing his fingers.

_What the hell is the point of a super suit if it doesn't even protect the user!?_

Chat Noir took a few deep breaths as he could hear Troublemaker's cooing voice from outside the fire.

"You better give up now, kitty," she giggled hoarsely. "Give up the ring, or you'll be burnt alive."

"What about the miraculous?" Chat Noir shot back sharply.

"Oh those things are fireproof, honey," Troublemaker said. "Honestly, I'm just giving you the freedom to give up your miraculous now."

Chat Noir gritted his teeth in annoyance. His ring meant everything to him, it was his gateway, and he was not going to close the gate to freedom now.

He wound his fingers over his ring protectively and shut his eyes tightly.

"I won't!" he shouted through the roar of the fire.

_I can't even if I wanted to! Why does nobody get this?_

"Well, I won't take your word for it," she replied quickly. "To be honest, kitty, I'm curious to see who's under that mask of yours."

Chat Noir swallowed hard. If word got out that Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste, Adrien would no longer be Mr Perfect...

His breathing started to get out of control and sweat beads fell down his face like it was raining.

_I don't have a lot of time..._

His eyes looked all around him for some kind of solution but all he could see were the large flames snaking all around him.

_I could...no...can I?_

"Time's running out kitty! No superhero or human can even survive this much heat!" she shrieked as the flames began to get more intense.

_No other option Adrien, move._

He shut his eyes tightly, held out his baton as a shield and ran through the flames.

The burning was indescribable.

It was only for a split second, but it wasn't long before scorches and burns were all over his body. Chat Noir cringed in the pain and stumbled forward, feeling relief from the flames. His green eyes scanned the room, and caught Troublemakers'.

She giggled, and he could clearly see her eyes. They were hollow and black, without a hint of colour.

"Well, kitty, that was quite a stupid move, wasn't it?" she screeched. "How about a little more heat as punishment!?"

Chat Noir's heart stopped as he ran through the shack in a desperate attempt to find somewhere to hide. He looked at his hands and felt his up his stomach. It looked like he had just taken a swim in boiling water.

_Need to contact someone for help or Troublemaker might not be the one who kills me..._

His burns were started to itch his skin and body more and more as he hopelessly searched for a hiding spot. His eye finally caught something on the shack floor. A small crevice or what seemed like a weak wooden floor. He slid under the crevice in the wooden walls and clutched his blistering knee, trying to recall some safety aid.

_Do I apply pressure? What should I do?_

He stared through the crevice, and he could hear Troublemaker's footsteps die out. She was circling the area now, and she had started to create more and more flames in the shack.

"I'm fireproof kitten!" she shouted. "You're only making this harder on yourself!"

Chat Noir choked on the smoke that was rising around him as the moisture left his throat quickly. He blinked, trying to stop his eyes from stinging.

He picked up his baton and opened it up. He grunted in annoyance.

He saw only two contacts:

**Ladybug**

**Gabriel Agreste**

They were the only ones he thought were remotely important to him in any way.

He swallowed his pride, his eyebrows knitted together tightly. He pressed Ladybug's call icon on his phone slowly.

For a moment, all he could hear was the silent hum of his phone, and to his dismay, no stern, Ladybug voice calling back.

_She must not be transformed..._

"This is Ladybug, I'm not transformed right now, but please leave a message."

_Short and sweet as always..._

"Listen Bug," Chat Noir mumbled into the 'phone'. "24th Cornwall St is a trap, Troublemaker's back, please come ASAP."

It wasn't urgent, but he couldn't unload a lot of details at that moment. He looked down at his body, and pursed his lips as he noticed his burns and scorches.

It was unlike anything he had ever seen. The pain was so strong it was killing him.

He had always felt invincible with his ring.

Now he feels like he's...human.

Chat Noir's eye lids started to feel heavy, and his throbbing head was not helping. The flames were making him more tired and sleepy.

It wasn't his fault.

They felt warm.

Marinette was in a rush. There was no doubt something fishy happened to Chat Noir, and she did not want the authorities to get him killed faster. She only had the blurry details of the situation after all.

As soon as she transformed, she hurriedly put on her hoodie and pushed her feet through her boots in a hurry. She pulled off her pigtails and hastily tied a ponytail. She rubbed her earrings softly as a good luck charm before taking off into the Parisian night.

_I need to get high ground..._

Her yoyo spun out into the distance and latched onto the highest spot in Paris. The Eiffel Tower. Her body flew over the state, as her eyes stared focused at the tower, unmoving. It was strange, she didn't have the ability to fly, but she had never felt more like a ladybug.

Her legs landed on a metal railing, and she grabbed her hand around it, hoisting herself up to look over all of Paris.

_Who knew that it would be this easy to see the top? It's almost impossible during the day thanks to the tourists..._

Her eyes darted all over Paris, stretching out from the Parisian slums all the way to the Northern side. The lights of Paris were bright and glowing despite it being night-time. Her eyes finally hit something.

It was glowing, and it was fire, that was obvious. But the flames weren't orangey, they had a hint of purple, making it look more redder.

Ladybug pursed her lips together in worry.

_Chat...what happened?_

Ladybug's yoyo suddenly ringed with a small zippy tune, and she opened her yoyo, scrolling through her contacts to find a notification from Chat Noir himself.

_Well speak of the devil..._

She opened the voicemail hurriedly and pressed her yoyo against her ear.

"Listen Bug,"

His voice was small, almost like a whisper, and Ladybug frowned in worry. His voice wasn't normal, it sounded more tense and hoarse.

"24th Cornwall St is a trap, Troublemaker's back, please come ASAP."

Ladybug pressed her ear against her phone and listened again. He was speaking quickly and nervously, in stutters.

_This isn't like him..._

Ladybug looked over Paris toward the Northern side of Paris where the fire was burning. She could see the flames. They only covered a part of the building, but it was clear that it was an unnatural fire, even from that distance.

"24th Cornwall Street," she said sharply, throwing her yoyo down toward a tall nearby building. "Here I come."

When Ladybug first saw the shack, her first thought was about how stupid Chat Noir could have been. As she hit the street of Cornwall, and saw the people crowding the fire, trying to call for help, she frowned suspiciously at the 'For Sale' sign.

_What is he? An idiot? This place is so obviously a trap!_

She edged closer toward the building, commanding people to move away from the fire and wait for the police to arrive immediately.

She breathed in the smoke and coughed gravelly and clapped her hand over her nose and mouth. She blinked away the smog as she edged closer toward the shack.

The heat was unbearable.

_Oh no...poor Chat...I don't even think I can get inside __**and**__ be able to help him._

Her eyes travelled up to a nearby light post. She hurriedly latched onto it then jumped onto the roof of the shack. It seemed badly burnt, but no flames were touching it. She peaked through the holes in the wood and tried to get a look at the scene.

She could just make out what seemed to be Troublemaker pacing forwards and backwards on the ground, calling out and taunting Chat Noir with light giggles.

Her laughs were haunting and nightmarish. A mixture of night and fire.

Ladybug couldn't find Chat Noir anywhere, no matter where in the building she searched.

_He's probably hiding somewhere..._

_Or, he might have been lying to you all along and this is some dumb distraction while he does some stealing._

_We literally just stole something 20 minutes ago!_

_And be realistic, arson for a steal is too much, even for him._

Ladybug shook her head away from her rushing thoughts and immediately took out her yoyo phone and texted Chat Noir.

"Chat Noir, where are you? I'm on the roof. Come up with a distraction and you can meet me up here."

Her message left, and to her luck, she received one back mere seconds later.

"Hiding, I'll create a distraction."

She grinned, then noticed he was still typing something else.

"..."

"Thanks."

She stared at the message surprised.

Well that's completely unlike him. Something real bad must have happened.

She suddenly perked up at the distinct sound of a bell chime, then a slight whizz, seemingly the sound of Chat Noir's baton sliding across the floor.

_Nice._

Troublemaker stopped pacing and scanned the room suspiciously before her footsteps died out following the noise of the baton. Ladybug looked around the roof for any cracks in the building that he could slip through, then noticed two glass panels.

_Oh no..._

There was a small sound of Chat Noir whispering 'cataclysm' before the Ladybug could see a leathery fingerless gloved hand pressing against the glass. The glass corroded, turning into a copper colour and smashed the window open. Ladybug swung her yoyo in front of her, but still caught a rusted glass shard on her side. Blood started streaming down her right hip.

"Ugh!" she grunted, almost losing her balance on the roof. "Chat Noir, be more careful will you?"

Chat Noir clambered out of the glassless panel with a serious face, and Ladybug observed him in shock. His face was covered in burns, and his eyes had veiny red lines.

"I'm sorry Bug, couldn't find any other way," Chat Noir muttered, picking out tiny class shards from his body. "She fell for the dumb baton thing. Still got both of them right here."

He showed his two batons safe and secure on either side of his belt.

There was a moment of silence when he noticed Ladybug was staring at him in complete and utter disbelief.

"What?" he questioned, balancing himself on the roof.

"Well uhh..." she stuttered. "Chat...you look...awful."

"Gee thanks, hoodie girl," Chat Noir shot back.

"Chat, you're in no shape to help me take Troublemaker down right now," Ladybug said sensitively. "You have...so many scars..."

The suit was peeling itself off, burns were visible, and his eyes looked stinging red. His body was completely derived of colour or moisture.

"Oh yeah, you too," he said gesturing his head toward her glass shard.

"This is nothing compared to you," Ladybug frowned, trying to carefully take out the shard without hurting herself too much. "Look at you!"

"Whatever," Chat Noir growled. He honestly was too fatigued and tired to complain. "I still want to help though."

"You're impossible," Ladybug grumbled under her breath. "You know what, if you want to help me, tell me why you're even here!"

Ladybug stared at him pointedly as Chat Noir averted his gaze from her.

"Oh...of course," Ladybug said in a stinging disappointed tone. "You still fell for an obvious trap."

A moment of silence passed between the two of them.

"You think this isn't a coincidence, do you?" Chat Noir finally said.

"What?" Ladybug replied, startled.

"The murders. Your dad or whatever, then this Troublemaker girl. It's obvious she also has no other motive than to get our miraculouses, right? She's probably an akuma thanks to the murder of someone close to her."

There was a pause.

"...Yes, I don't think it is."

"The guy who gave me the steal, said he got it from someone down south," Chat Noir said, getting on his feet. "Some brunette girl."

Ladybug's eyes widened.

"Well it looks like I've hit the jackpot."

"Chat Noir...they found a brown hair in that crime scene!" Ladybug said excitedly. "I heard from..."

Chat Noir observed her suspiciously.

"...someone?"

Chat Noir simply sighed.

"Okay then, I'll de-transform, if you want me to so badly, and then I'll head off to find my guy. See you around Bug."

Chat Noir was about to jump off the building, when she suddenly caught him by the tail.

Chat Noir almost fell off the roof.

"Oi! You know that tail's practically a part of me! It hurts like hell when you yank it."

Ladybug couldn't help giggle.

"Chat Noir," she smiled sincerely. "Thanks."

Chat Noir couldn't help but feel his cheeks colour and get warm.

"You're welcome!" he said hurriedly, before hiding his face from her. "See you around."

He leapt down from the streets into a narrow alleyway from everyone else. He looked all around before de-transforming. He caught a quick look at the burning shack as she leapt in through the glassless panel with determination written on her face.

He couldn't help but smile warmly.

**-Marinette's Diary-**

_To: __**?**__? __ﾝﾓﾻ__**?**__? __ﾝﾓﾮ__? __ﾝﾓﾽ__?_

_From:_ Sabine Dupain-Cheng

_**January 15th, 20XX, Morning**_

It's certainly been a while, hasn't it? I haven't wanted to write a diary entry since last time. Mom is dead, Dad's come back. As an akuma though.

Dad's been assigned as victim #38 at the nearby hospital. The authorities and Ms Bustier told me that too many people knew about him in the slums and stuff and might connect the dots...they're planning to have him completely erased from existence and replaced as a different person.

If they do that he...has to move to Mauritius or Belgium.

I think the police are planning to have me stay with Alya for the rest of my high-school life. Then apparently they're gonna try get some government funding or get me adopted by some other family.

I don't know how to feel honestly.

I don't want my father to be known as the akuma that terrorised kids at Francois-Dupont, almost killing a few of them, but I didn't want to lose him either.

I never want to leave the Parisian Slums. Or Mylène.

I wonder what she's doing nowadays...

Chat Noir has been a bit more distant, he never shows up for anything anymore really. He rarely steals either, I guess his normal life is catching up to him.

Alya keeps asking me questions about Ladybug for some reason, and I don't know why. It's strange but I can sometimes hear her mutter something like 'Felix Biscuit' in her sleep.

I'll keep up to date...

At least I'll try. It's hard to have free time to do this anymore, really.

-**?**? ﾝﾓﾻ**?**? ﾝﾓﾮ? ﾝﾓﾽ?

Short chapter today, folks, hope you enjoyed it. I sometimes get worried the plot is a bit bumpy, so please tell me when that happens or you notice something off. My story's kind of still in the editing phace :

~Variiscite


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